Titansfall. (IC. Closed! ATTN: Sondria.)

by **Gristol-Serkonos** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:07 pm

IGSNS Unto the Breach, Sarektjåkkå II-class Supercarrier
145th Task Force,
Engaging German Battlegroups
Southern Aerus, Sondria

Admiral Kjellsson ordered the end of fleet's pursuit of the High Seas Fleet, changing priorities as the German Battlegroups opened fire on the 145th. Missiles and shells approach the fleet, successfully hitting his smaller frigates and destroyers and sinking a cruiser. The fleet simultaneously fired its close-in weapons, firing volley after volley of shells and missiles. Kjellsson ordered the capital ships to move behind the frigates and destroyers. One of the Ridnitsohkka-class battleships was also hit, its aft burning and listing to port as the crew try and save the ship. Kjellsson looked at the charts and attempted to plot the course of the Germans. They were approaching Fort Bahren, a major Crontorian installation this far in the east.

Carrier-borne F-104 Ghosts and F-404 Defenders fought the German F/A-18 Super Hornets in an vicious air battle. The German Naval Air Power were considered outdated, fourth-generation fighters with no radar stealth capability compared to the fifth generation fighters the IGSN are fielding. Despite the technological advantage, they were outnumbered and were sustaining losses. For every loss they sustained, they took down two or three of the German fighters.

It would be foolish for the Admiral to continue their engagement with the Germans as their proximity from Fort Bahren might provoke the Crontorians. He would not risk it as he ordered the fleet to sail east, firing at the Germans as they move. While they are technologically inferior, they still possess superior numbers. Plotting another course, he ordered the fleet to hold position near the Onekawa-Nukanoan overseas territory of Aotearoa. Contacting 145th's reinforcements, he ordered the 24th Imperial Fleet, 300 ships strong towards the easternmost island in the Bahrensia Archipelago east of Fort Bahren. An order was given to the 23rd Imperial Fleet to reinforce and resupply the 145th. The 23rd and 24th Fleets were from the Central Fleet Command, acting as the reserve fleets as the northern and southern fleet commands are positioned to prevent the enemy's advance into the Sovereign Empire soil. The two fleets possess the largest number of Sarektjåkkå II-class supercarriers, Anubis-class arsenal ships and Kaskasatjåkka-class missile battlecruisers.

Fleet Command hoped to starve the Kriegsmarine fleets by cutting them off from their homeland. Positioning his arsenal ships on the rear, he ordered a second barrage of missiles towards the German fleets. The Anubis-class vessels, named Acheron's Thunder and Certain Brutality are equipped with Summanus-class single-stage hypersonic multirole missiles, capable of reaching 1800 kilometres. These missiles vastly out-range the missiles the Germans use, which Fleet Intelligence has estimated to reach 92 kilometres. The two arsenal ships fired simultaneously, 300 kilometres from the 145th, with the Ridnitsohkka-classes shielding the ships from shells lobbed by the Germans. Hatches of the vertical launch cell opened up, launching the Summanus missiles sending billowing towers smoke before arching towards the German fleet.

A long-range anti-ship missile barrage from Poseidon's Might, a Kaskasatjåkka-class missile battlecruiser, soon followed. Missiles from the Kaskasatjåkka-class are not the same missiles the arsenal ships use, but they have the maximum range of 930 km. Careful calculations were done to prevent hitting Fort Bahren, with priority targeting on the larger surface combatants of the German Kriegsmarine.

The Germans might have given Admiral Kjellsson a proverbial broken nose with this setback, but he plans on putting them all in a body-bag.

"145th, we are withdrawing, cover the missile battlecruiser and arsenal ships as we pull out." he ordered, as the sailed north towards Aotearoa.

by **Marquesan** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:54 pm

The Battle of GP2031.

700 Kilometers Southeast of Rotuma, D'Arros, The Marquesas.
Task Force "Red Queen", MSV Dread Sovereign,
Sea-Dweller Class Superdreadnought.

Outside, the steady thrumming of the ocean's rising and falling waves was faintly audible through the thick slab sides of Red Queen's bridge. The ship itself was a leviathan; first of a class of the largest ocean-going military vessels ever to move in Sondria, save only the foreign-built Longswords. Upon her bridge stood a crew much smaller than one you might imagine for a warship of her size; six men stood watch at various stations, with a massive television lowered from the ceiling infront of them with a detailed image being fed live from the ship's Caelus Prime X-Band radar. With it, the movements of the German fleet had been plain as day to the Marquesans, who just now had been able to re-establish contact with the Gristol-Serkonosians nearby. Because of this knowledge, the Marquesan fleet had veered further south and now, with their transmissions between each other on heavily encrypted channels transmitted digitally, they bore down upon the German fleet like a plague.

From the south and the waning light of a winter sunset came eight enormous Acheron-class carriers, their majestic twin hulls cutting the waves far below their massive aviation decks that spanned both superstructures. Escorting them were four Anubis-class arsenal ships, long and slippery and low, their wide decks jammed with missile cells. Armored like battleships but low to the water like monitors, these lethal vessels prowled the waters in a ring around the carriers and their capital vessel, the Red Queen, bearing on her mast the Shogun's Blood Star flag, a gift from Shogun Akane Hyuga when she lived to the ship's commander. Escorting the fleet on its outer edges were four Devil-class battleships and twelve Tiamat-class destroyers; all twenty-nine ships running with their lights off.

The first sign of trouble for the Germans would be their submarines reporting torpedoes in the water. Using passive sonar aboard the surface ships and on a fleet of four ultra-quiet Phobos-class submarines beneath them, the older German submarines with their louder reactors had been long-before identified by the slippery Marquesan hunters. Now, a squadron of land-based Sarissa bombers overflew the fleet at high altitude, launching Trishula missiles which, once their first stage was burned, separated and dropped a supercavitating torpedo into the water. Eight such torpedoes were launched, along with a salvo of twenty Kali-type torpedoes, slower but heavy and deep-diving, deep enough to sink even the finest submarines operating at extreme depths. Both types packed 500-kilogram warheads, enough to crush the hulls of warships at their beltlines.

Coming out of the clouds into the German fleet, undetected by the enemy ships would be two hundred and seventy Tranche-III Type-21 "Divine Wind" fighters, hungry to engage the German F/A-18's. Turning in, the big Divine Winds approached from the southeast and the dark, lights off, using only their electro-optical targeting systems to keep them appraised of the situation outside, flying without their afterburners so as to not give away their positions. The big Fenrir turbines of the Type-21 were more than adequate to bring them into attack range of the German fighters at supersonic speeds without using afterburner. Attacking with missiles, the first four aircraft, flying in a "Finger Four" as they came down through a layer of thick clouds, punching through the grey overcast like arrows from on high, each aircraft letting loose two "Tachi" missiles, their pulse detonation aerospike rocket engines creating an ear-piercing scream as they rolled into their targets at five times the speed of sound. The "Divine Wind" fighters made a rushing sound as the flew down past the altitude of the German flighters, banking up and trading speed for altitude, rolling into the Germans with their guns, spraying the enemy aircraft with thirty-millimeter cannon rounds at over 10,000 RPM, the fighters dancing along the trans-sonic barrier as they again attacked the German Hornets.

At sea, the failing light came alive as Anubis-class arsenal ships rippled off a volley of three hundred Type-1610 "Summanus" missiles. With their terrible green flames pushing the missiles higher, they accelerated with veracity, blinking skyward at a rate almost unbelievable to the naked eye. The tearing sound of the airbreathing missiles in flight would have been deafening on the decks of other ships. The missiles glowed white hot as their nosecones pushed aside the cold winter air; streaking skyward in groups of sometimes five or six at once. The missiles would begin steering themselves earthward again, flattening their parabolic curve as they neared the ocean's surface. The missiles leveled off completely only two meters above the wavetops, advancing toward the German KMS Friedrich Carl, KMS Bismarck and KMS Tirpitz along with their Ticonderoga-class escorts at over fifteen times the speed of sound, dancing to the port or starboard, sometimes climbing or diving at random, making the missiles significantly harder to track with Close-In Weapons Systems. Given their speed, the Summanus in flight would be extremely difficult to knock down in flight, and even so fragments of the missile may still strike the target and do great damage even if intercepted. They closed on their targets from the edge of their radar ranges in only seconds, at first only stars on the horizon but rapidly growing, though the terrifying thunderclap of their sonic boom would only come long after a missile struck its target, filling the air with the scream of its engine only after the missile had already struck; as though the screams of the dying could be heard in its wake.

Ever-nearer, the Marquesan task force had gotten. On the decks of its carriers, more horrors were launching in the form of the feared Shadowcat bomber, each carrier launching two simultaneously. For the German fleet in Marquesan territorial waters, hell had come to breakfast.

IV Corps Airmobile Cavalry HQ,
Marquesan Army District, CAFOC Lumphat Heights,
Lumphat District, Oleron Prefecture,
The Meritocratic Union of Marquesan States.
Local Time: 0750 Hours.

Yet again as in so many other times in Marquesan history, the world would change to the steady sound of boots running across polished stone floors. A messenger had been sent to the office of the Commandant-Supérieur to bring him down to the communications room. Entering the Corps Commander's nearly palatial office, the messenger slowed to a walk as he pressed his Personal Credentials Card against a security panel, the door giving a faint buzzing sound and then clicking lasily open as it unlocked. The messenger paused under the Torii-shaped doors to remove his cap before he entered the Commander's building. Stepping past the General's secretary who stood to greet him and bowed as he passed, the young Chief Operator himself bowed as he entered the Commandant's private office. The room was cool, with a gentle scent of wood polish and cigar smoke, a fan blowing over a massive teak wood slab resting on stone pillars that the Commandant used for a desk. Wordlessly, the messenger stood and motioned toward the door and the Commandant, an Erjunhite-descended Matthew Palmeri and young at only 45 for his rank. He had fought bravely at Ju'Tozzo only a few years ago, being one of a precious few who survived the now-legendary siege and the subsequent breakout under devilish odds.

Commandant Palmeri nodded and quickly grabbed his things, stepping out with the messenger into a fast walk as they walked toward the communications center across a wind-blown cobblestone plaza ringed with evergreen pines. Here in hilly, northern Oleron the winter has begun to bite, dropping the year's first dusting of snow on the yellowed grass that the pair of them passed, both wearing their winter-thickness uniform overcoats today with service shirts under. "Orders?" Commandant Palmeri asked.

"Afraid so, sir. Came from Higher just now."

"Alright. You'd better go see to your family, son. I can get there the rest of the way myself. Bon chance, soldat."

The messenger smiled as he saluted his superior officer and hooked right across the cobblestones toward his parked car in a nearby lot. As C-Sr. Palmeri strode through the doors of the operations center, down two flights of stairs in a hardened earth-buried bunker, the crew of the command node came to sharp attention as the door sentry stood and blew a naval whistle to call the bunker to attention. "What is it?" Palmeri asked, waving his hand downward as if to release the room to At Ease. "Orders from Higher, Sai. Marked for your eyes only." The Sergeant of the Watch reported as Palmeri walked up with his hand extended, so to ask for the orders. Opening them quickly, he read over the document, his face growing progressively paler as his eyes scanned further.

"Send to all commands; emergency mobilization orders have been authenticated. Advance elements must be ready in six hours, all commands to report in by ten hundred with a status report, main body elements must be in loading chalks by fifteen hundred, trail elements must be ready by twenty hundred hours. All Corps elements are immediately deemed to be at war, pull up the CAFOC, we're going north to rescue The Midlands."

His words hung on the air like the ring of a lonely church bell on the winter wind. Across The Marquesas, at Pleiku, Vanganh, Triao and Hekou, Rinca and Umatac, Aprahi and Dededo in Lifou, Salima, Utele and Mano, in Coevity and every Marquesan Army corps on the fotress island of Pandora received identical emergency deployment orders. Fifteen Corps-sized elements in all along with supporting deployment orders cut for an additional Ten corps of Reservists and Gendarmerie to maintain order in the districts affected by Army deployments. Each unit under different marching orders--across The Marquesas, word spread by every means possible that High Commands on both sides of the growing civil war had coordinated and issued identical orders; that a common enemy was far greater than the threat of civil war. For a brief moment, The Marquesas shared a feeling of unity and resolve; with the Crontorian wolf growling at the northern door and the battlesmoke rising around the German fleet in the south, with Kyushu smoking with the heat of a war being waged against foreign terrorists and the streets of nearly every major Marquesan city running red, The Marquesas came together to face its common foes and, at least for now, Royal Marquesan Army and Marquesan Union Army came together to defend their homeland from its foes.

by **Erjunhuf** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:12 pm

Optional Thematic Music

Raonspéir-5
Heliosynchronous Orbit
Sondrian Space

772 kilometers above the surface of Sondria, an Erjunhite military observation satellite drifted soundlessly through the cosmos, uncaring of the chaos that had beset the region below in recent weeks. This satellite was one of a dozen, whose total reach covered the entire surface of Sondria, and was capable of both taking a photograph detailed enough to make out the individual make and model of a car on the ground as well as detect military traffic from across Sondria. While the overall space network Erjunhuf had established was smaller than most other nations, the launch of Raonspéir-5 and its ilk was a significant development for a nation that, only thirty years ago, had invested virtually nothing into its space program, military or otherwise.

Raonspéir-5, responsible for overflying the Crontorian-Marquesan-Midland border, had arguably the most important role in the entire program. Since its launch three years ago, it had taken photos every day, twelve times a day, with perfect accuracy. Of the hundreds of thousands of photos that Raonspéir-5 had taken over the course of its life, it had never bothered to personally analyze the differences in them: such a thing was beyond its core programming, and was instead the job of the computers in a facility in Ascolai that it sent encrypted transmissions to. If it had, it would have immediately taken notice of the massive military buildup and subsequent border crossing by the CAF over its past several passes over Crontor. It also would have been curious that encrypted military traffic coming out of Crontor had grown from its standard pattern to an amount that hadn't been seen since the height of the Newcastle War.

These were the jobs of other machines and other analysts, however, and the Erjunhite military satellite dutifully carried out its mission with nary a thought of the regional ramifications. Minutes later, having completed its mission, Raonspéir-5 continued to drift onwards and snap photos of its next target, known Aquilinian positions that the Elder Republic wanted monitored, unaware of the utter pandemonium the images and signals traffic it had captured in the skies above the Midlands was about to unleash on the ground below.

The 173rd Army, 44th Army Group
Mangaia, Kanto
The Marquesas

For the last week, the 173rd Army, sent to drive back the German expeditionary force if they had failed to comply with the demands, had set up camp in the Marquesan city of Mangaia. While the 173rd had been prepared to drive the Germans out, they had instead decided to withdraw in earnest, leaving the Erjunhite force to their own devices; equipment and vehicles had once again been loaded onto their Osiris and Reaper transports in the event they were required to move out elsewhere within the Marquesas, but the situation was proving to be . Gristol-Serkonese and Marquesan fleets were now busy hunting down the remnants of the German fleet, leaving the Marquesan mainland free of unwanted interventionists for the first time since civil strife had broken out. Pendragon forces were working even now to free Darjeeling Prefecture from the taint of Islamic extremism even now. The Mahdavians, who had seen fit to probe the Pendragon alliance for signs of weakness, had been driven back in explosive fashion, and no one else had seen fit to test either the Marquesans or Pendragon Pact forces since. As the blood-red sun rose over Mangaia, the prospect of order and peace seemed as if it could be attained in the near future.

This respite, however, was proving to be illusory. Word was rapidly coming down that a Crontorian force of gargantuan proportions had breached their border with the Midlands in multiple places, in addition to what seemed to be a mass mobilization of Crontorian forces in every corner of Sondria; if the reports were even remotely accurate, an even larger force was moving towards the Crontorian-Marquesan border. Whether their intentions were hostile or merely precautionary could not be gauged: the rest of the 44th Army Group in Hekou and Triao were being ordered to hold their position in the event the Crontorians decided to attempt to cross the border. Even more units in Erjunhuf, already mobilized in the wake of the Winter Contingency, were likely to be ordered to move south towards Hellas-Ellada en masse in the coming hours. The 173rd, however, was being assigned an entirely different mission. As the only force capable of rapid movement without compromising the safety of the Marquesan border, the 173rd was being sent to the Midland city of Nunrice. Not only was Nunrice a major port on the Sea of Arrack, it was situated directly across from the Kyushu peninsula of the Marquesas. If the city were to fall into enemy hands, it could be used as the springboard for a major attack into Kyushu, turning what was already a quagmire into an outright catastrophe.

Where other armies had cut away at or done away entirely with their airmobile units, Erjunhite military planners had doubled down on the concept of speed through the air as the primary method of assuring battlefield domination. Despite being more than 3,000 km away, it was estimated that forward elements of the 173rd's attached FAR Corps could arrive at Nunrice in a mere four hours, with the rest of the FAR Corps arriving no later than eight hours afterwards and the entire 173rd Army, a total of 240,000 men, within two days. Communiques to the government of the Midlands were already being sent, alerting them to the incoming Melegeans and reassuring them of a friendly intent to defend Midlandian territory and citizens from the encroaching Crontorians.

The makeshift airfields around Mangaia were abuzz with activity as units rushed to their assigned positions and awaited their orders. The soldiers that weren't assigned to Reaper-craft were boarding mag-lev trains set for Umatac, commandeered and approved by their Marquesan allies for the war effort. From their, they would board Marquesan Capricorn crafts, along with freed-up Reapers, and make for Nunrice. Those who were designated for immediate transport to Nunrice were quickly ushered onto awaiting Reaper transports and launched shortly thereafter, accompanied by a protective detachment of Divine Winds and Spitfires. Many of the soldiers in the forward elements had served during the Jagite War; some had even fought in the hellish Battle of Ju'tozzo alongside their Marquesan allies, the bloodiest engagement involving Melegean forces since the Elder Republic had entered isolation nearly a century ago. All of them, however, were confident of one thing: if the Crontorians had seen fit to break the peace, they would be dealt with accordingly.

Admiral Magnus Tóchas
ENS Maorga, Sea Dweller-class Superdreadnought
Melegean First Expeditionary Force
Off the Coast of Pandora

The massive plume of smoke from what had once been the Mahdavian fleet provided a stark contrast against the sapphire-blue sky; even from dozens of kilometers away, the smell of oil, fire, and smoke burned the nostrils of Admiral Tóchas as he observed the carnage from his observation post on the Maorga. He could not help but be satisfied with the victory achieved here today: his fleet had only had to fire one volley at the Mahdavians to effectively rout them, and his forces had responded well to the countervolley, despite its comparatively small size. The Repulse from Pandora was every bit as decisive as a commander could hope from fighting a battle.

To call the previous engagement a "battle", however, would have been insulting to the very meaning of the word; as best as his intelligence staff could tell, between the Erjunhite missile barrage and Marquesan airborne assault, the Mahdavian fleet had been utterly annihilated, down to the last ship. It had not been without cost; although most of the missiles the Mahdavians had managed to launch toward the Erjunhites were woefully off-target due to the incredibly limited amount of time they had had to properly designate targets or had been shot down as they'd approached the fleet, a block of missiles had managed to split a Devil-class battleship in half when one of them impacted the ammunition hold, killing two-thirds of the crew immediately and causing some residual shrapnel damage to the ships nearby. An Anubis-class had also taken a direct impact, and although it had not been sunk, a massive fire had broken out onboard, forcing a massive firefighting effort, as well as an emergency return to Pandora for repairs. Despite these losses though, the Mahdavian threat to Pandora had been brought to an abrupt end.

The rest of the 58th Fleet, the only part of the 1st Expeditionary Force to actually launch a bombardment at the Mahdavians, was also returning to port to rearm, while the 60th Fleet was returning from the Arietales after picking up the few Mahdavian sailors that were lucky enough to survive both the massive bombardment as well as the vengeful Marquesans; Tóchas had already issued a message to the Mahdavian government that he would return the POW's to Mahdah, in return for a formal apology to the Pendragon Pact, reparations for his and his Marquesan ally's damages and losses, and a decade-long nonaggression pact. All in all, Tóchas reasoned, a very lenient and fair agreement after the stunt the Emirate had attempted to pull.

In the meantime, his own 59th Fleet, as well as the 57th Fleet that had finally rendezvoused with the rest of the 1st Expeditionary Force from Eragos, were turning their attention towards the west. Crontorian naval movements, the largest the region had seen since the height of the Newcastle War--perhaps the 1st Newcastle War now, Tóchas briefly mulled--had been detected all across the region, with a large naval force amassing only a couple thousand kilometers away from Pandora. In conjunction with the massive ground force mobilizing in southern Crontor and conquering territory in the Midlands, all indications pointed to a state of open warfare between Crontor and the Pendragon Pact. It was his duty to defend his ally's territory from any and all threats, regardless of the what the Crontorians were bringing to bear.

Tóchas checked the latest reports and briefly glanced at his watch: the 60th Fleet was due to arrive with the rest of the 1st Expeditionary Force sometime within the next four to five hours, while the 58th Fleet would likely be in port rearming for the next several hours. From his position, just to the northeast of Pandora, he could launch attacks on positions as far away as the Syuoka'Ethono Islands if need be, more than enough to help defend Pandora if the situation required it. The First Expeditionary Force, in the meantime, would begin to set up a defensive position similar to the one utilized against the Mahdavians while they awaited the return of the 58th and 60th Fleet; only when word from the Marquesans could be received and a proper strategy conceived would the Melegean force move to actively engage.

Erjunhite Second Expeditionary Force
400 Kilometers Southeast of Ascension Island, Gristol-Serkonos
Periclean Ocean

Even as battles raged across continents and the peace between the larger nations began to crumble, the Periclean Ocean was a bastion of tranquility. The movement of three Theater Commands, along with 40% of the Erjunhite navy, did little to break the calm of the sea. These troops, who had begun to mobilize almost two weeks beforehand, had shipped out from the major naval port of Aurora only four days ago, bound for the Marquesan peninsulas to help mend the civil strife that had beset the Elder Republic's largest ally. Ostensibly, that was still its purpose: as reports from the Ministry of Defense began to circulate regarding Crontorian movements, however, it became increasingly clear that the twelve million Melegean soldiers would likely be fighting an entirely different kind of enemy. Tension beset the fleet as it traversed the Periclean as the fleet commanders ordered all sonar and radar stations on a wartime alert; while it was highly unlikely that the Crontorians would have any submarines or surface vessel in these waters, nobody was taking any chances of a surprise attack.

Discussions among the generals of the land force, realizing that a land war with the Crontorians was rapidly becoming inevitable, met to discuss whether a revision of strategy was necessary in light of the circumstances. Some argued that a return to the Elder Republic to assemble a larger force was required; others demanded that they devote their whole force to the Marquesas and join their Pendragon allies on the ground to fight what would almost certainly break out into a larger war in northern Kanto. Finally, after two hours of intense debate and communications with other Pendragon nations, it was decided that the majority of the expeditionary force would continue their primary mission and land in the Marquesas; a sixth of the entire expeditionary force, however broke off and began to sail northeast toward the Gallarian Sea, forming an impromptu Third Expeditionary Force. A formal request for more forces from the Elder Republic was sent out as the fleet continued its journey across the serene ocean seas; the only hope was that reinforcements could be sent before it was too late.

The Freastal, Inside the Suíochán
Carthage, Erjunhuf

"This is excellent news, my friends!" Sylas declared as the Marquesan leaders announced their formal detente. He took a moment for the Skyans to speak, happily noting that the Skyans had offered aid. The Prime Minister had been one of the foremost proponents of the Skyan proposal to build a city in the Sevii's in Parliament, and he was glad to see that they were willing to engage and continue their humanitarian assistance even after receiving their land. Before he could speak, however, the doors to the Freastal opened up and a squad of SWORD commandos rushed in. Although Sylas could not determine why they had suddenly interrupted what had the potential to be the most important meeting in Marquesan history, he couldn't help but get a sudden chill. One of the operators--a captain based on her insignia, Sylas noted--stepped forward and removed her helmet, holding it in one hand and a dispatch in the other.

"Captain Elara Corvin, commander of SWORD Alpha-02." The young raven-haired SWORD captain said tersely and forcefully before Sylas had a chance to say anything, before handing a note to the Prime Minister. "I apologize for the abruptness, but this was too serious to wait."

Sylas gave the captain a strange look before reading the dispatch. He had to read it twice more before he could will himself to relay the message. "Crontorian forces have mobilized what seems to be a large percentage of their military force, and have crossed the border of the Midlands. If these reports are accurate, they're moving tens of millions of men to the border of Kanto. It would seem...it would seem that the Imperial Federation has effectively declared war on the Pendragon Pact."

"With your permission, sir, I'd like to keep my squad in the room. Just in the unlikely event something should happen." Elara quickly interjected, motioning her squad to spread out and stay out of sight. "My priority is keeping the members of this room alive and in one piece."

"Granted, Captain." Sylas replied before turning back to the delegation. "Whatever the intentions of these...fhealltóirs," Sylas could not help but add bitterness to his voice; the thought that the Crontorians, once good allies of both the Elder Republic and the Marquesas, could launch an all-out war with both nations was nothing short of deplorable. "A united Marquesas, one free from the persecution of outside interventionists and internal civil strife, is in the best interests of the region. I know that my countrymen grieve for your nation and people; know that the Elder Republic's commitment to your nation is as unwavering as it has ever been. If the Crontorians have decided that war and intimidation of your nation is their desired course, than Melegea itself will have to sink beneath the waves before our aid to the Marquesas stops."

by **Crontor** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:56 am

Sondria;
Hellas;
Administrative District of Wrontor;
Kgrell:

As the sun rose on another day in the Midlands, Operation Prequel was proceeding exactly as the Crontorians had envisioned. Scattered resistance was still being encountered by the Army Groups moving westwards who fought through the occasional ambush or remnant of anti-Crontorian Midlander units. These attempts to slow the advance of the CAF were easily pushed aside in the face of heavy Crontorian airstrikes which now experienced unquestioned air dominance over the entirety of the Midlands. In areas of strong Crontorian support, the Central Intelligence Service (CIS) and Combat Coordination Agency (CCA) were already in the process of organizing local security forces, both police and military. Weapons stocks were being audited and volunteers organized. Over time, these would become full fledged members of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of State Security, but would function as provisional units until the area was fully organized.

All stated objectives had been taken or were in the process of conquest. Furthest north, the 170th Army Group was marching triumphantly towards Tekkri. Niami and Dhet were to be taken by the 171st and 172nd Army Groups who experienced no trouble linking up with the ACRs along their routes while in Kgrell, the addition of additional ACRs had broken enemy resistance and secured the airfield for the landing of additional Crontorian reinforcements. In Nunrice, the ACR had successfully secured the airfield while the 173rd Army Group had broken up several determined pockets of resistance as they continued to advance on a broad front towards the coastal city. Upon reaching the city center they removed the Midlander and local flags, installing the blue and orange of the Imperial Federation, making it clear to residents exactly who was now in charge.

Following on the tails of the Army Groups were the Federal Military Police who snaked through the Midlands, setting up their bases in conquered cities and relieving the ACRs who had been the first Crontorian units to enter the Midlands. Accompanied by teams of CIS agents, they worked cooperatively to identify, arrest, and deport known troublemakers. Troublemakers being defined rather loosely by the Crontorians as any and all civilians capable of organizing or mounting determined resistance. Anti-Crontorian government officials, members of the press, and local activists were tracked down using local census records and sent to improvised holding facilities, usually former Midlander police stations or military bases. Crontorian flags were being raised across the country as Vienna prepared to announce its formal annexation as the Administrative District of Wrontor, the name that Crontorian soldiers and personnel were instructed to refer to the territory as.

The name had already been endorsed by the local governance. As soon as Crontorian forces had cemented their hold over Kgrell, the Midlander Senate, now controlled by the Crontorian backed Senator McDamon following the well timed disappearance of opposition leaders, had passed two bills. The first welcomed the Crontorian intervention and pleaded with the citizens of the country to welcome the CAF. A second bill called for annexation of the Midlands by the Imperial Federation under the name Wrontor, a new administrative district that recognized President Carter as its leader and Vienna as its capital. Satisfied with the development, President Carter issued an immediate communique to the region at large.

Sender: Executive Office of the President of the Imperial Federation of Crontor
Receiver: The Region of Sondria
Encryption: None
Subject: Annexation of Wrontor

Following the humanitarian intervention into the territory formally known as the Midlands in order to halt the spread of civil warfare between ethnic factions, the Imperial Federation has welcomed the declaration of the democratically elected government of the Midlands asking for immediate annexation by the Imperial Federation of Crontor.

The Imperial Federation is committed to the preservation of the rights of ethnic Crontori across the region of Sondria and has only made the decision to commit military forces to this broken nation upon learning of the ongoing systematic abuses against Crontori populations. These crimes could not be allowed to continue and so an intervention by the CAF was absolutely necessary in order to maintain peace and security on the continent of Hellas.

As it has been willed by the representatives of the people of this country, the Administrative District of Wrontor is hereby formally integrated into the Imperial Federation of Crontor. Henceforth, the Imperial Federation shall grant membership and representation to the Midlands equal to that of their brethren within the Imperial Federation. The Administrative District of Wrontor from its capital city of Kgrell now officially recognizes all laws, regulations, and policies applied across the Imperial Federation while all of its people are now formally citizens of the Imperial Federation.

Responsibility for the defense of Wrontor from foreign incursions now rests with the Crontorian Armed Forces as they are legally tasked with the defense of the entirety of the territory of the Imperial Federation. Any and all foreign incursions against the land, air, or sea borders of Wrontor will be seen as violation of the borders of the Imperial Federation and thereby an act of war.

I am pleased to welcome the eighth and newest Administrative District to Sondria’s foremost advocate of regional peace and democracy, the Imperial Federation of Crontor.

Norman Carter
President of the Imperial Federation of Crontor

Sondria;
Aerus;
Fort Bahren:

Most days, Fort Bahren was little more than a quiet outpost. Established centuries ago by intrepid Crontorian explorers as an outpost for trade ships, Bahren had never been prime real estate on which to establish a colony, but served its purpose as a trading post and later coal refueling station before the CAF recognized its strategic significance. Situated just off the coast of Aerus, to say that it qualified as an outpost was an understatement. The entire island was one large military base, crisscrossed by barracks, bunkers, and hangars. Its shores gave way to massive docking and refueling facilities which hosted hundreds of warships, anchored in rings around the island. Home to no less than five Combat Surface Groups and ten Combat Air Divisions, it was a fortress bristling with personnel and weaponry. The five Army Groups that had formally been based here had been transferred to fight in the Midlands.

While remaining personnel were monitoring the ongoing campaign of their comrades in the Midlands, most of the attention at Southeastern Command (SOUESCOM) headquarters was now devoted to the ongoing naval action drawing closer and closer to Fot Bahren. German forces retreating eastwards were doggedly pursued by Pendragon Pact forces despite having signed an armistice with the latter, something that made the CAF extremely uncomfortable. Why the Germans had pursued an ill-fated expeditionary adventure into Marquesan was yet to be determined, however, theirs was a foe that was clearly outmatched and beaten. To continue pursuit was salting the wound. As such, the CAF sent an open message to the German fleet, inviting them to the sanctuary of Fort Bahren whose territorial waters could provide safety.

Code: Select all: To all active German warships; SOUESCOM of the CAF is extending an open invitation to all GAR vessels to make immediate haste to Fort Bahren where they can be sheltered in Crontorian territorial waters. Repeat. Crontorian waters open to German vessels. You have been betrayed by your armistice. Crontorian waters at Bahren are open.

MORE TO FOLLOW

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:51 am

KMS Friedrich Carl
Seventh Fleet
Joint Kriegsmarine Task Force

The manoeuvre had been successful. The Gristol-Serkonosians, caught unawares by the sudden appearance of two German battle fleets, had taken some casualties from the resulting exchange of gunfire and missiles as both sides scrambled to sink each other's ships as much as possible. Eventually, the Serkonosians had seemingly pulled back, leaving the Sixth and Seventh Fleets in control of the battlefield, at least temporarily. Casualties, though not light, had been acceptable for the task force: Three Los Angeles-Class nuclear attack submarines and two Brandenburg-Class frigates had been severely damaged and sunk in the ensuing mêlée, while various assorted ships had also sustained some damage from the shells of the 145th's dreadnoughts.

The momentary success of the Kriegsmarine however, dissipated quickly when radar screens onboard the ships of the combined naval task force began picking up the arrival of another large body of ships to the south. Radio intercepts eventually correctly identified them as the Marquesan naval fleet that had sallied out from the former Shogunate to do battle with the High Seas Fleet. Soon, the radio channels of the Sixth and Seventh Fleets were filled with contact reports and the chatter of German fighter pilots as the Kriegsmarine's F/A-18s found themselves engaging with Marquesan Type-21 "Divine Winds", much to the surprise of the men and officers of the Marineflieger. However, the Super Hornets, once the initial surprise had worn off, had promptly closed ranks and began doggedly counter-attacking against the Type-21s, their pilots employing every ounce of skill and expertise they possessed in order to out-manoeuvre their Marquesan counterparts. Ducking and weaving in frantically amidst the huge dogfight that was unfolding in the skies above the Sixth and Seventh Fleets, the F/A-18 Super Hornets returned the favour with their 20mm M61 A2 Vulcan cannons, disgorging up to 6,600 rounds of PGU-28A/B high-explosive incendiary rounds. Despite lacking the punch of 30mm rounds, the Vulcan's high muzzle velocity allowed for the cannon to be able to sustain concentrated rates of fire with minimal occurrences of jams and weapon failure, making it a most reliable weapon. The PGU-28 rounds were sufficiently lethal to ensure that any initial contact with an enemy aircraft body was more than enough to detonate the round's incendiary tip, and consequently the high-explosive charge inside the cannon round. At such high altitudes and speeds, any Type-21 that had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of the M61 A2 Vulcan would soon receive a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

Although the Type-21 "Divine Wind"s was considered, and not without reason, the more technologically-advanced aircraft over the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Kriegsmarine had sought to redress this perceived inferiority of arms through rigorous and systematic pilot and ground-crew training to ensure that her Super Hornet pilots would be amongst the most well-trained in Sondria. Pilots could be expected to receive up to three hundred hours of flying time annually, with a similar amount of time for ground-crew personnel onboard the Kriegsmarine's aircraft carriers. Thus, in any incidence of air-to-air combat, the German pilot, whether he served in the Luftwaffe or the Kriegsmarine, had the luxury of constant training and flying to hone his skills for use in combat.

Nevertheless, to pile on the pressure on the Marquesan enemy fighters, and to deal with the bomber threat posed by the Sarissa bombers, the twelve Gerald R. Ford-Class aircraft carriers of the Sixth and Seventh Fleets combined, began scrambling additional F/A-18 Super Hornets into the air, adding close to another thirty fighters to support the initial defensive screen of fighter aircraft. However, radar warning systems onboard the various ships once again sparked to life as they began picking up the first wave of Marquesan Type-1610 missiles screaming towards the task force. The first picket line of destroyers and frigates began opening up with their own RIM-162 ESSMs and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles. The ESSMs screamed towards the Type-1610s, their semi-active radar homing guidance systems locking onto the Type-1610 "Summanus" or alternatively, through ship-based radar operators who guided the ESSMs towards their intended targets. The RIM-116 RAMs similarly honed in on the Type-1610s through their infrared guidance systems, which also had the ability to employ radio frequency tracking. Whichever way the Type-1610 "Summanus" missiles tried to evade the Kriegsmarine's defensive missile screen, the Kriegsmarine's own missiles could easily one-up them.

Those Marquesan missiles that managed to sneak past the first defensive screen were now engulfed by a hail of gunfire from the various Phalanx CIWSs onboard the German Arleigh Burke-Class destroyers and Ticonderoga-Class cruisers as well as the OTO Melara 76mm guns onboard Sachsen and Brandenburg-Class frigates which could be used not only to target enemy shipping but missiles as well. The guns were able to down several dozen Type-1610s yet this was insufficient in stopping the Marquesan missile barrage. Two missiles struck the aircraft carrier KMS Friedrich Carl, penetrating the ship's hull and detonating, forcing the vessel to halt all aircraft carrier operations while her damage-control crew struggled to extinguish the fires that had started onboard. Another two missiles struck the battleship KMS Bismarck, resulting in the ship listing dangerously towards her port side until her crew was able to correct the list and bring the flooding under control. Her sister ship KMS Tirpitz had surprisingly escaped any major damage save for a Summanus which had exploded just off her port side when a nearby Ticonderoga had succeeded in shooting it down with it's Phalanx CIWS, spraying crew members onboard Tirpitz with red-hot shrapnel and missile fragments, which also threatened to start fires onboard the battleship. Other ships elsewhere were not so fortunate as the Type-1610s successfully blew up two Ticonderoga-Class cruisers and four Sachsen-Class frigates.

While Admiral Karl Müller, who had survived the initial missile strike onboard KMS Friedrich Carl, grappled with the onerous task of salvaging his damaged flagship, Admiral Berndt von Jungenfeld, who commanded the Sixth Fleet, now ordered the ships of the Sixth Fleet to return fire towards the Marquesans. Employing the Aegis Combat System, the ships of the Sixth Fleet began tracking the Marquesan naval fleet, as the Aegis's integrated radar and computer systems began plotting and calibrating a firing solution against the enemy. A few minutes later, the ships of the Sixth Fleet as well as their Seventh Fleet counterparts began firing off a counter-barrage of over a hundred Harpoon and RBS-15 anti-shipping missiles, which began their final approach towards the Marquesan fleet, with weapons operators guiding several of the Harpoons towards the Anubis-Class Arsenal ships. Destroying any of these monstrosities would land a crushing blow towards the Marquesan fleet, while alleviating the score in favour of the Germans.

However, the damage sustained by the combined Kriegsmarine task force against the IGSDF 145th Task Force and the Marquesan naval fleet meant that any further prolonged engagement against the Pendragon forces would be bound to result in even greater casualties suffered by the Sixth and Seventh Fleets. The orders for Admirals Müller and von Jungenfeld had been to cover the withdrawal of the High Seas Fleet and the 1st Army by conducting a holding action of sorts against the Pendragon naval contingents. Now that the Gristol-Serkonosians had been pushed back and the High Seas Fleet was out of danger and safely on the way back to home waters, there was no point in suffering further pointless losses. As the two commanders sought to discuss their next move even as the combined task force was firing it's counter-strike against the Marquesan fleet, radio communications began picking up a transmission from the Crontorian Southeastern Command stationed in Fort Bahren.

"What does the message say?" an impatient Admiral Müller demanded while an aide sought to stem the bleeding from a gash that the Admiral had sustained on the left side of his head. The bridge of the KMS Friedrich Carl reflected the chaos unfolding beneath it on the carrier's flight deck, as medical orderlies rushed around to and fro attending to the wounded while smoke began to fill the bridge.

"To all active German warships, SOUESCOM of the CAF is extending an open invitation to all GAR vessels to make immediate haste to Fort Bahren where they can be sheltered in Crontorian territorial waters. Repeat. Crontorian waters open to German vessels. You have been betrayed by your armistice. Crontorian waters at Bahren are open." The radio officer onboard the bridge read out.

"Herr Admiral, this is an opportunity for us. The Crontorians are offering us sanctuary against the Pendragon Pact. If the Task Force can make its way to Fort Bahren, we can rest and refit our crew and ships until we are in better condition to set sail for the Reich." Admiral Müller's Chief of Operations interjected.

"You want me to intern nearly a hundred naval warships of the Kriegsmarine, nearly ten percent of our total naval strength, into the territorial waters of a foreign power whose intentions we are quite unaware of and who may or may not follow up on their promise to provide us 'shelter'?"

"Sir, we have no choice. If we retreat northwards towards the Reich, there is no guarantee the Pendragon forces will not be able to catch up and hunt us down to the last boat. If we take shelter in Fort Bahren, the Pendragon Pact will be forced to call off their pursuit lest they wish to subject themselves to a confrontation both with us and the CAF."

Brushing aside the aide that was trying to bandage his head wound, Admiral Müller reached for a nearby communications headset that was connected to Admiral von Jungenfeld's flagship.

"Herr Admiral von Jungenfeld, I suppose you know what the Crontorians have proposed to us."

"I'm quite aware Herr Admiral and I do agree that we must make use of this opportunity to avoid being sucked into a protracted battle with the Pendragon enemy."

"But the security risk to our own ships are considerable. And there is no guarantee that the Pendragon Pact will call off their repeated attacks once we enter Crontorian waters."

"Fort Bahren is heavily defended to the death and the Pendragon Pact knows that. If they were so stupid as to pursue us while striking out against the Imperial Federation, then the Serkonosians and Marquesans will be inviting their own destruction. The Pendragon Pact has no amphibious troops available within this sector. There is no way they could capture Fort Bahren even if they wanted to."

After a pause, Admiral Müller finally gave his reply.

"Very well Herr Admiral, since you have indicated your stance, then I shall concur. All ships of the Task Force will immediately make haste for Fort Bahren. I want our remaining frigates and destroyers however to cover the withdrawal of the carriers first before the main body follows suit."

As the task force comprising the combined Sixth and Seventh Fleets continued to lob anti-shipping missiles against the Marquesan battle fleet and F/A-18 Super Hornets endeavoured to sweep the Type-21s from the sky, the twelve aircraft carriers that comprised the backbone of the task force began sailing northwest towards Fort Bahren. Shortly afterwards, the rest of the task force began making their towards Fort Bahren as well, while several assorted warships fired off even more Harpoons and RBS-15 AShMs against the Marquesans. Within minutes, the Sixth and Seventh Fleets were en-route towards Crontorian waters where the island-enclave of Fort Bahren lay. Though some senior officers remained apprehensive about seeking sanctuary in the territory of a foreign power whose motives and rationale for doing so were a mystery, others were relieved at the prospect of having to replenish and refit the ships and men of the task force without having to sail straight up north for the safety of the Reich's territorial waters. The reply message of the German task force was promptly delivered back to the Crontorian SOUESCOM.

"To the Southeastern Command, Crontorian Armed Forces,

The Joint Task Force of the Kriegsmarine, comprising of the Sixth and Seventh Fleet, graciously accepts the offer of the Imperial Federation in providing safe refuge for all military assets of the Greater Aryan Race. The Sixth and Seventh Fleet have been instructed to set sail for Fort Bahren and her surrounding environs and will soon enter Crontorian territorial waters within a few hours. We await any further messages from yourself or the Government of the Imperial Federation concerning this matter.

by **Havensky** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:25 pm

The Freastal, Inside the Suíochán
Carthage, Erjunhuf

Atticus frowned deeply. He knew tensions between Crontor and the Pendragon Pact were always at an unreasonably high level, but perhaps he had been too optimistic that Crontor would choose not to exploit the crisis in the Marquesans.

He tapped the pen on the table a few times before noticing that his White Guard had shifted positions to fit into the same patterns as their SWORD counterparts. Atticus had forgotten that the two units had trained together as part of the security arrangement when Port Fourhearts had leased an island in the West Sevi's. In the event of an attack on Erjunhuf; the Legionary Armada at Fourhearts would enter the fray in defense.

Atticus also noticed that Captain Squall looked incredibly uncomfortable. Squall was shifting in his chair, hand moving to his side arm looking around... but realizing that there was no danger currently present. And since Squall wasn't part of the security detail he had nothing to do.

"Relax Captain,, said Atticus quietly to Squall. "Not used to being out of the action are you? Remember, your job here isn't to shoot things. I'm somewhat surprised that you're in armor - but then I suppose there's nobody here that outranks you to tell you otherwise. Speaking of which..

Atticus rose and button the first button of his suit jacket.

"Prime Minister, it appears that with the Marquesans united again - or at the very least in a position of truce - and the declaration of war this group might have more pressing military matters to discuss. As the Skyans are not a member of the Pendragon Pact, we understand that if you would like us to leave at this time. I will have my office coordinate details of our aid offer post-meeting.

If it pleases Captain Covin, I can also have our security detail take position outside the door as to augment her forces... although I see that my Master Chief has already taken some initiative in this matter.

i would - at this time - like to put forth the Skybound Republic of Havensky's application as a member of the Pendragon Pact. This region is becoming increasingly more dangerous and with the loss of one of our own citizens... we would like to take a more active role in it's security. "

The Skyan delegation rose.

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 10:40 pm

Reich Chancellery
Germania
The Greater Aryan Race

The Führer watched as the television screen showed images after images of the Crontorian invasion and annexation of the Midlands within the Hells sub-continent in Sondria. While the newscaster announced and described the progress of the Imperial Federation's systematic thrust southwards, as well as the subsequent announcement that Crontor had annexed the Midlands, images and amateur video recordings in the background showed massive, unending columns of Crontorian vehicles trundling down roads and highways that snaked across the Midlands. Other recordings purported to show large-scale demonstrations by local Midlanders proclaiming their enthusiasm and support for the Crontorian forces, with citizens showering the CAF troops with the usual displays of flowers, hugs and kisses, some of this real and others obviously the work of paid shills of the CIS.

Although the Wehrmacht's Abwehr Department had been tracking and monitoring CAF movements across the whole of Sondria for the past few weeks, the initial invasion had still taken the Abwehr by surprise. No one had expected Crontor to move into the Midlands so soon and so rapidly, though considering how the Pendragon Pact's attention had been diverted towards the Mahdavians (who in their stupidity, had attempted a premature naval offensive against the Pendragon naval garrison on Pandora island) and the German naval forces now streaming back to the Reich after their harrowing odyssey in the Midlands, it always seemed inevitable that the Imperial Federation would eventually intervene in the current regional crisis to reassert her own place in the sun.

Almost simultaneously, the Reich Government, through the Oberkommando der Marine, was notified that the Crontorian Southeastern Command in Aerus, had dispatched a communique offering sanctuary and refuge for German naval assets now currently engaged in a titanic struggle against the Gristol-Serkonosians and the Marquesans near the Crontorian outpost of Fort Bahren. The Sixth and Seventh Fleets had, on their own initiative, decided to take up the Crontorian offer and had directed the combined task force to seek shelter at Fort Bahren. While some members of the OKM and the OKW were apoplectic at this new development and wanted nothing less than the removal and court-martial of the two Admirals, cooler heads prevailed with Field Marshal Aldrik Bergmann together with Grand Admiral Heisenberg, the Chief of the Kriegsmarine, both agreeing that the immediate priority was to ensure the safety of German naval assets.

The Führer, who had been kept notified of each new successive development regarding the Sondrian crisis, likewise concurred and gave his approval to the Sixth and Seventh Fleets yet the Crontorian move had puzzled him. It was only several weeks ago that Crontorian news agencies and government officials had begun running a campaign of disinformation that had sought to pin the blame for the assassination of Shogun Hyuga onto the GAR, a campaign which had left a bitter aftertaste on German-Crontorian relations as the GAR retaliated with counter-accusations and denunciations. Since then, German-Crontorian ties had cooled somewhat, though neither party had apparently decided to denounce and nullify the German-Crontorian Treaty of Friendship that had been signed the previous year.

What the Imperial Federation wanted, was the key question that weighed heavily on the Führer's mind as he continued to stare at the television screen in the privacy of his office in the Reich Chancellery. Since the conclusion of the Pendragon Pact, the original Triad bloc comprised of Crontor, Marquesan and Erjunhuf had melted away and expired into obsolescence, leaving Crontor diplomatically isolated as President Carter had seemingly decided not to commit the Imperial Federation to become a member of the Pendragon bloc, instead plunging Crontor into "splendid isolation". Yet the Imperial Federation's regional ambitions were apparent for all to see. The mandarins of the German diplomatic corps in the Wilhelmstrasse knew that Crontor still cast covetous eyes onto Hellas and Alkharania, restrained only by a Pendragon bloc whose own aims and aspirations had gradually diverged from Crontor's before directly clashing ever since the uprising first arose in Marquesan.

Crontor thus appeared to be cleverly making use of the resultant regional turmoil to reap the benefits of new territorial claims and expansion, especially with a disjointed Pendragon Pact. The Führer had to hand it to President Carter for such Machiavellian cunning and now that the Crontorians had seemingly offered a lifeline to the GAR, the Führer was inclined, despite his suspicions, to take up the Crontorian offer. He had no intention of contesting Crontorian claims in Hellas and in any case, the Midlands after all was better off under Crontorian administration then her own ramshackle government. And in the coming war against the Pendragon Pact that almost everyone in the Reich considered an eventuality, the Reich needed the support of regional powerhouses in Sondria if she every wanted to stand a fighting chance against the Pendragon. Consequentially, State Secretary Dommeratzky, in charge of the Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs now that Reich Minister Balck was away, was instructed to deliver the Reich Government's message and reply to the Crontorian communique.

Official Communique of The Fascist Dictatorship Of The Greater Aryan Race

To: Minister of State Alan Suderity, Government of the Imperial Federation of Crontor
From: The Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Greater Aryan Race

Subject: Crontorian Annexation of the Midlands

Encryption: TOP SECRET

Sir,

The Reich Chancellor and Führer, in his capacity as ruler of the Greater Aryan Race, has noted the intervention of the Crontorian Armed Forces into the former political entity once known as "The Midlands", now referred to as the Administrative District of Wrontor, and commends the Imperial Federation for her swift actions in ensuring peace and tranquility in the Midlands.

The Greater Aryan Race has long supported the right of self-determination amongst individuals to form whatever communities and associations they so desire on the basis of shared historical experiences, culture, religious and linguistic commonalities as well as kindred blood. As has been brought to our attention, the ethnic Crontori that reside in the Midlands have long suffered from the injustices and hardships of war that have befallen the Hellas sub-continent as a result of the current conflict taking place in Marquesan, as well as the policies of the preceding Midlands government which have encouraged the perpetration of systematic abuses and injustices upon the ethnic Crontori population.

Mindful of these circumstances, the Greater Aryan Race wholeheartedly applauds and commends the Imperial Federation for her swift and timely intervention into the Midlands to promote peace and security in Hellas while safeguarding the rights of her fellow kindred. The people of the Midlands have accordingly, through democratic norms and free expression, declared their desire to join with the Imperial Federation in a perpetual union to promote shared prosperity and happiness amongst one another. The Greater Aryan Race therefore, recognises the Crontorian annexation of the former Midlands as legitimate and lawful and will strive to respect this new development in Sondrian affairs.

At the same time, information has reached this Government that the Crontorian Armed Forces, at the behest of the Imperial Federation, have offered to provide sanctuary and refuge for German naval forces currently operating in Aerus. The Reich Chancellor and Führer as such, wishes to express his thanks and gratitude to the Carter Administration for their efforts to support the Greater Aryan Race in her struggle against the treacherous clique that refers to itself as the Pendragon Pact.

The Reich Government hopes that the two developments will help to serve as a common basis for closer German-Crontorian bilateral relations and cooperation regarding regional affairs in Sondria, keeping in mind at the same time, the German-Crontorian Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Cooperation that was signed and ratified by both Crontor and the Greater Aryan Race in October, 2014.

I have the honour to remain, with high consideration,

Rudolf Dommeratzky
State Secretary
Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Near the Timargistani Eastern Border
Northern Sondria

Far to the north, at the peripheral edges of Sondria, elements of the Wehrmacht were being shipped northwards towards an empty stretch of land that bordered the eastern border of the Islamic Republic of Timargistan, another small and insignificant nation-state that had opted to remain in a state of diplomatic isolation. The Wehrmacht contingent that was now being deployed to this wasteland comprised of elements of the 1st Marine Corps as well as one Panzer corps and three infantry corps, alongside several Fallschirmjäger and airmobile divisions.

Ostensibly, the troops were there for further training exercises, the result of the OKW's dissatisfaction with some of the results of the recent summer manoeuvres undertaken by the Wehrmacht. In particular, greater attention was now devoted to the execution of amphibious and airborne operations, operating in close conjunction with the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. Accordingly, the OKW had decided, with the Führer's approval, to conduct further follow-up exercises and military manoeuvres. This time, the Army would be joined by the Kriegsmarine's Northern Fleet, under the command of Admiral Kurt Bellegarde. The Timargistanis, despite their obvious discomfort at the presence of so many troops situated near their borders, were compelled to acquiesce to the Reich's notification that she would be conducting military drills at her Eastern border. There was nothing much that Timargistan could do anyway.

A veritable supply chain soon grew from the northern boundaries of Utara towards the southern edge of the Timargistani peninsula as convoys of ships carrying with them the men and equipment of this training force began shuttling to and fro across the frigid oceans of the north while overhead, Airbus A400M aerial transporters were likewise ferrying copious amounts of men and supplies, under the protective cover of several Eurofighter Typhoon squadrons. It was truly no-mans land and many an ordinary soldaten grumbled as to why High Command had ordered their shipping out to this frigid tundra for further military exercises.

by **Mahdah** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 1:03 pm

Northern Darjeeling, Patur,
Kyushu Penninsula, Marquesan Union.

If you advance your grave will await you,
If you advance your oppression will be bridled.

There were only so many roads that led into Patur proper, most of the Al Hafa militants were use to taking the more rural routes to reach the city and thus would use the enemy's need for proper logistics to support their invasion as their downfall. Since the proclaimed fall of the former provincial government in Darjeeling and the capitulation of it's unprepared military, the proliferation of advanced weaponry, military grade vehicles and other equipment were abundant amongst the militants. When critical information was given to key commanders in the area about a massive amphibious landing and mechanized and armored forces moving towards cities such as Patur, defenses were immediately manned and or formed for a all out assault on their positions. Communications were noted to be interrupted most likely by the enemy and that their air forces were hitting many targets that would most likely mean advanced reconnaissance was being used before hand, the invasion was defiantly planned for.

In tact paved roads that would be key to the enemy's advance and support network into the city of Patur would be heavily mined with AT and AP mines along with improvised explosives. Small one or two man scouting parties on small motorbikes would ride about in the distant country side and observe enemy movement and numbers . All the while enemy aircraft prowled the area indiscrimnatly bombing targets that were mostly in the heavily urbanized city of Patur where much of the populace still resided, Al Hafa doctrine always stressed that when holding urban areas to always secure the populace and keep them within to use as a shield and make the enemy more hated and garner more support for the coming battles. Once the enemy did enter the city from whatever means they would be met with a determined resistance, automatic weapons, heavy machine guns, mortars and rockets would greet the enemy as they advanced.

Small groups consisting of 5 to 10 militants would roam the city for the enemy and engage them in small firefights before retreating, while a more larger group of militants flanks the enemy from their weakest point and hopefully inflicts enough damage to spark a retreat or completely wiping out said forces. Such tactics and fighting would be seen in every city the new enemy advanced into, more was yet to be revealed.

by **Crontor** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 5:44 pm

Sender: Ministry of State of the Imperial Federation of Crontor
Receiver: The Greater Aryan Race
Encryption: Top Secret
Subject: Betrayal by the Pendragon Pact

It is with continued sadness yet painful acceptance that the Imperial Federation watches the treachery of the Pendragon Pact affect your nation. The Imperial Federation was pleased with the armistice that should have led to the cessation of any and all combat actions between the Pendragon Pact and the Greater Aryan Race. This has obviously not been the case and we condemn this betrayal on the part of Pendragon.

While the nations of the Pendragon Pact had previously been some of the closest allies of the Imperial Federation we have become increasingly disillusioned with their continued antics and treatment of the Imperial Federation as a secondary power. It is for this reason that we wish to extend a hand of friendship to the GAR for we seem to share a common foe in the guise of Pendragon. We hope that as many of your vessels and personnel make it to the safety of Fort Bahren as is possible and that these same soldiers are able to see their home ports shortly.

We are contacting you today for two reasons. For one, the Imperial Federation has in its possession a multitude of warships currently in storage that we understand are models used by the GAR. We wish to offer you these vessels and their associated aircraft to replace those lost in combat against Pendragon Pact forces so that your military is better able to defend itself against continued aggression. Further details can be worked out and the vessels available will be provided below.

Secondly, we believe that the time is right for our nations to come face to face to discuss ongoing issues of international security that are pertinent us both. We humbly invite representatives of your nation to Vienna, capital of the Imperial Federation, to meet with Crontorian officials regarding the current status of regional affairs and perhaps future cooperation. We await your response.

Alan Suderity
Minister of State of the Imperial Federation of Crontor

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Administrative District of Crontor;
Augluware Province;
Fort Tweston:

Sitting south of the Imperial Federation’s largest naval base at Fort Echeron, Fort Tweston was a lesser known military facility on a river delta that snaked into the Gulf of Echeron. Activity at Fort Tweston was relatively low with very few active units cycled in and out of the facility. What was strange about the fort then was that attached to it were more warships than one would find at an active Crontorian naval base. These vessels, although numerous, were not active. And they did not answer to Central Command which covered the mainland Imperial Federation but instead Reserve Forces Storage Command (REFORCOM), a division of Civil Defense Command (CIVDEFCOM).

Lying at anchor in the channels and inlets carved naturally or by man surrounding Fort Tweston were hundreds of decommissioned naval vessels that once proudly displayed the Crontorian naval ensign at ports of call across Sondria. Now that a new generation of warships had taken their mantle, the older warships were relegated to a series of Naval Storage Centers operated by REFORCOM across the Imperial Federation. Here, they were stored and maintained by engineers and associated personnel to be made ready for a future combat scenario when the Imperial Federation or allied power was in desperate need of warships. Military planners in the Imperial Federation had always known that the country did not lack for either space or people, making it prudent to save older warships to train new sailors on in the event of a major war whilst the industrial power of the Imperial Federation’s war machine went to work producing top of the line vessels to make up for combat losses.

Orders were distributed from Vienna to the Naval Storage Centers across the Imperial Federation to begin preparations for a flood of new recruits and reserve personnel who would be trained to put these ships to sea. At Nocann, Naskary, Rolvoni, Cilhas, Vicaldi, Sendilli, Chomworth, and Cinchester Naval Bases, barracks were touched up, supplies stocked, and uniforms prepared for the next generation of draftees sent to defend the Imperial Federation at sea. The naval bases at New Port, Doleigh, and Chandrophis were specially designated Submarine Storage Centers and the Equipment Maintenance Divisions of REFORCOM based their began preparing the submarine pens now holding reserve submarines for new life. New Port Island was the largest of these facilities, a large volcanic island whose natural geography allowed for the formation of underwater caves and caverns perfect for use as submarine bases.

These vehicle stocks did not just extend to the Crontorian Navy. Both the Crontorian Army and Crontorian Air Defense Force had long sent their decommissioned hardware to Joint Storage Centers and Air Storage Centers spread across the Imperial Federation. In climate controlled bunkers and warehouses on military bases far from the borders of the country, vehicles and aircraft sat ready to replace those lost on the battlefield, receiving regular maintenance and usability checks by the Equipment Maintenance Divisions attached to their bases. The military bases hosting these vehicle pools were picked because of their strategic locations far from any potential enemy attacks.

Deep in the mountainous interior of the country, activity was picking up at forts rarely mentioned by top commanders in Vienna. Before long these quiet yet expansive facilities with names such as Salvacar and Froton would become shared memories of the millions of conscripts who passed through their barracks on the way to the front. Their position in the center of the country, at the meeting point of the mainland’s four administrative districts, and the storage of war material there also made them perfect training facilities for Defense Recruiting and Processing Command (DRAPCOM). From Fort Ulger on the northern coast of the Administrative District of Crontor, DRAPCOM oversaw the efforts of the CAF to recruit, train, and deploy what could potentially become hundreds of millions of men and women serving as soldiers under the banner of the Imperial Federation.

Forces that passed through the twelve Army Training Centers, nine Naval Training Centers, three Submarine Training Centers, fifteen Air Combat Training Centers, and four Bomber Training Centers would go on to comprise the Crontorian National Guard operating under National Guard Command (GUARDCOM). This was the secondary line of defense of the Imperial Federation after the active CAF and would be using the equipment restored from REFORCOM to protect the borders of the country. A mix of reservists, former military personnel, and new recruits, the National Guard was a force to be reckoned with even if sent against enemies with superior technology.

Where the Imperial Federation did have an advantage was that of numbers and its proximity to the battlefield meaning that it could bring greater numbers of those soldiers to bear against an enemy. In a time of great emergency or when the President declared a National Defense Emergency (NADE), mass recruitment would lead to the creation of the Army of the Imperial Federation, a citizens defense corps trained to serve as the last line of defense for the nation. Although it have never been authorized in modern history, the theoretical AIF would comprise of hundreds of millions of armed personnel ready to defend their homes and families against foreign invaders. While not planned to be crack troops, the AIF was nonetheless intended to slow the advance of enemy units and incur massive casualties.

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Administrative District of Crontor;
Enshine Province;
Vrareba:

A full moon illuminated the quiet suburbs of Vrareba, far removed from the hustle and lights of one of the Imperial Federation’s largest cities. Here on a nondescript sidestreet Henry Avow adjusted his glasses and rubbed his eyes as the light of his computer screen cast long shadows in his study. Around the room were piles of boxes, mostly unpacked, and scattered books on subjects ranging from Crontorian history to collected foreign philosophical works. Many of the books lying about were actually books that had been banned in recent years by the Committee for the Promotion of Crontorian Culture (COMPROC) a division of the Ministry of Culture that had identified a host of foreign works deemed threatening to the national security of the Imperial Federation.

This was not the first time that Henry Avow had carried out an act considered treasonous by the Imperial Federation. After college he had joined an activist group advocating for the rights of ethnic Beblians during the now defunct conflict that pitted the Imperial Federation against the Beblian Democratic Liberation Front. For his protest activities, Avow had served several years in prison, an experience that had hardened his resentment for the imperialistic policies of the nation he called home. Upon his release from prison, Avow had involved himself with a mix of politicians aligned against the Cranico administration, politicians who all shared short life expectancies upon becoming high profile opponents of Crontorian policies. Forced to lay low and distance himself from dissident activities upon meeting his wife and becoming a father to the two children sleeping down the hall, Avow and his family had moved from Vienna to Vrareba where he had managed to get a job at a software firm.

It was here at the software firm that Avow found himself at the center of controversy. Coworkers at the firm had started a series of websites and forums dedicated to organizing anti-war protests in response to the mass mobilizations against the Pendragon Pact and the foray into the Midlands. Always managing to stay one step ahead of the Ministry of State Security, Avow had helped put together a national day of marches to take place tomorrow. For now, he was monitoring activity on the forums watching for any signs of sabotage. So engrossed in his work, he did not hear his wife’s footsteps moving swiftly down the hall until she burst into the room.

“Henry,” she hissed, choking back tears, “they are outside, run. Go. Henry run!”

For a brief second, Avow’s life flashed before him. His wedding, the birth of his children, the prison cell where he wasted away, all passed through his mind before he came to his senses. He could hear the slamming of doors and screeching of tires as security personnel bore down on his house. Without thinking, he kissed his wife and ran to the window, punching out the screen and dropping down onto the roof of their wraparound porch. Scanning the street quickly, he spotted a empty corner by the backyard gate and sprinted to it. Unlocking the hatch, he stepped silently onto the sidewalk only to be met with a rifle butt to the chest that knocked him back into his garden.

Groaning as he looked skywards, he was surrounded by black armored personnel of the Central Directorate of State Security, identified by the CDSS patches on their armor, pointing their Echeron A5 Battle Rifles directly at him. Pulled to his feet and still in a daze from the hit to the chest, he could see CDSS personnel breaching his house and hear the screams of his panicked children, now awoken by the dozens of booted agents running about his house gathering evidence and throwing it all into evidence bags.

The screaming was the last sound he heard before another blow to the head knocked Avow out for good.

by **Aquilinia** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 2:49 pm

IFC Ministry of State
Vienna, Crontor

14.30 local

Crontor. The Empire and the IFC had plenty of history, not all of it good - but this was a new age. An age, hopefully, of peace between the two neighbouring nations. So, the Imperial Vicar had arrived in the IFC's capital for talks with their Secretary of State, one Mr Suderity. As a safety precaution, she had not travelled with much of an entourage, nor by her private plane - Steele had come on a regular flight from Fort Aquilaine, accompanied only by one bodyguard - her own daughter.

As the two Steeles walked up to the building, nobody would have guessed them to be the head of government of one of the major nations in the region and an officer of the Imperial Air Force. Elizabeth, in her black skirt-suit looked just like anyone who might have been working in the building - the only thing identifying as a representative of a foreign nation was the crystal lapel pin in the shape of the Imperial Seal. Victoria, on the other hand, didn't look like a serious person at all - with her pink hair, leather skirt and leather jacket, she would have looked more at home on a university campus. Only a second look at her jacket would reveal the insignia of a lieutenant of the IAF - and the bulge of the 9mm concealed within it.

As the two entered the building, they understandably garnered some looks from people coming in and out. Smiling, the Vicar walked up to the reception desk. "Good afternoon. Elizabeth Steele, Imperial Vicar of Aquilinia, here with my security escort, Lieutenant Victoria Steele, Imperial Air Force. We are being expected by Mr Suderity."

The receptionist nodded, and showed the two to the meeting room. "Bit less militaristic than they used to be," Victoria observed, whispering to her mother. "I agree,", Elizabeth replied. "Still, keep your eyes and ears open. We are, after all, in Crontor."

Finally, they had arrived, and were shown into the room, where Suderity was already waiting for them. The Vicar held out her hand. "Mr Suderity, Elizabeth Steele, Imperial Vicar. Pleasure to meet you. This is my daughter, Lieutenant Victoria Steele, Imperial Air Force. She's here as my security escort, and doubles as my aide. I hope you don't mind her presence."

Goliath Tower
Fort Aquilaine, The Crown of Francia, The United Empire of Aquilinia

15.00 IST

Geoffrey Steele smiled to himself as he flipped through the CEC's latest business report. Back before the Lord Protector had disowned all foreign businesses in the Empire, he had been running the CEC's efforts to expand north - with the Goliath Corporation as a front. Shortly after the establishment of the Protectorate, Steele had used his business contacts to take over most of the foreign assets disowned by the new government, and had built the largest conglomerate the Empire had ever seen, now employing nearly a quarter of the populace - and it was growing every day. He had lifted his daughter into the Vicary, and made sure his granddaughter became a pilot in the Imperial Air Force.

But one thing wasn't going to plan. The Marquesan government had ignored Goliath's offer of help, and the supplies sent had not even arrived before they arrived back home. Not good for business. But, he had a plan B. Another way of turning the crisis engulfing the region into a brilliant business opportunity.

He grinned to himself as he pulled out his mobile phone. Hopefully, the number was still right. "Gavin? Glad to see the number hasn't changed. I'm sure you remember your old friend Geoffrey? Listen, I have a business proposal. Why don't we meet up and catch up? Just whenever you want, really - first class tickets on Goliath Air to Fort Aquilaine, free of charge, of course. Looking forward to seeing you!"

As he put his phone back into his pocket, the old man was laughing. War was coming to Sondria, he could feel it in his bones. And what could be better for business?

by **Crontor** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 4:42 pm

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Administrative District of Crontor;
Columbia Province;
Vienna:

“It isn’t a problem Vicar,” responded Minister of State Suderity with a smile, shaking hands with the Aquilinian delegation, “we understand your desire to travel with a rather low profile. Things in Sondria are quite delicate at the moment as you surely understand which is exactly why we have brought you here today.”

With escalating tensions in the south and the full scale invasion of the Midlands to the west by the Imperial Federation, President Carter was eager to secure some sort of agreement with the Aquilinian Empire. The last time that the Imperial Federation had fought the Marquesans, in what could now be comfortably called the First Newcastle War, Aquilinia had joined in the fray, diverting vital resources from the south to halt an Aquilinian offensive into the northern provinces of the Imperial Federation. Offensive operations in the northern theater had been short but devastating, at least for the Aquilinians, whose naval forces were wiped out before a ground invasion could materialize.

For years, the Imperial Federation had held their victory against the Aquilinians as a threat against future offensive operations against Crontor. Whether or not that threat would still hold any relevance with more and more nations arrayed against the Imperial Federation was yet to be seen. This was why the meeting with the Vicar today was of such important.

As the group sat down, Suderity offered refreshments that had been laid out on the conference table and proceeded to begin the meeting, “We had hoped to sit down and discuss with the leadership of the Empire exactly how Crontorian-Aquilian relations should proceed in these trying times. War is definitely coming and the Imperial Federation is fully expecting to fight a war on several fronts. Just how many fronts we have to send young men and women to die on will depend on the course of international relations over the next few months. In this course, the Empire will play an integral role.”

“Our nations have in the past been enemies. Unfortunately, the same circumstances that led to the tragic loss of lives in both of our nations seem to have repeated themselves. This time we wished to confront the possibility of aggression between our nations head on and discuss exactly how our two nations are going to continue as peaceful neighbors.”

“We are fully willing to go to war with the Empire. And we are sure that the results will be exactly the same as they were last time. For your sake, we implore you to consider the present circumstances and choose wisely.”

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:46 pm

Official Communique of The Fascist Dictatorship Of The Greater Aryan Race

To: Minister of State Alan Suderity, Government of the Imperial Federation of Crontor
From: The Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Greater Aryan Race

Subject: Crontorian Military Assistance and Cooperation

Encryption: TOP SECRET

Sir,

The Reich Chancellor and Führer, in his capacity as Head of Government and State of the Greater Aryan Race, has received and acknowledged receipt of the Crontorian Government's offer of military vessels and assorted equipment to the Greater Aryan Race and has indicated his willingness to accept the Crontorian Government's offer. At this moment, naval forces of the Kriegsmarine belonging to the Sixth and Seventh Fleets have been authorised to take up sanctuary within the Fort Bahren military outpost, with the express wish of the Reich Chancellor that both the militaries of the Imperial Federation and the Greater Aryan Race cooperate to deal resolutely with the treacherous clique that calls itself the Pendragon Pact.

In addition, the Reich Chancellor and Führer, on behalf of the Reich Government, is more than willing to begin diplomatic discussions with the Imperial Federation in Vienna regarding the current regional situation in Sondria. Regrettably however, the Reich Chancellor is himself unable to attend these talks owing to the tense political situation that the German Reich finds herself embroiled in. To that end, he has formally designated the following individuals to attend the proposed German-Crontorian talks as diplomatic representatives of the Greater Aryan Race:

Heinrich Heinke, Reich Minister for Special Affairs
General of Panzer Troops Ehrenfried Sodan, German General Staff
Lieutenant-General Karl Koske, Reich Ministry for State Security

Should Your Excellency consent to the above arrangements, the designated plenipotentiaries will travel to the Imperial Federation as soon as possible for the purpose of initiating the aforementioned German-Crontorian talks while negotiating the transaction and handing over of the Crontorian military vessels and assorted equipment that the Imperial Federation has agreed to deliver to the Greater Aryan Race.

I have the honour to remain, with high consideration,

Rudolf Dommeratzky
State Secretary
Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs

KMS Friedrich Carl
Seventh Fleet
Joint Kriegsmarine Task Force

"Herr Admiral, an Emergency Action Message from the OKM!"

"Not a moment too soon! What does it say?" Admiral Karl Müller called out, while he and his flag commanders continued to track and organise the Seventh and Sixth Fleets' withdrawal towards Fort Bahren. With enemy air and naval strikes continuing relentlessly, the two fleets that made up the Kriegsmarine's Joint Task Force were busily engaged in a fighting retreat towards the Crontorian outpost. Only several hours ago, the Crontorian SOUESCOM had cabled the Task Force with an open offer of assistance and sanctuary within the harbours of Fort Bahren. Despite some initial hesitancy amongst the senior officers of the Task Force, both Admirals Müller and von Jungenfeld eventually agreed to take up SOUESCOM's offer and have the Sixth and Seventh Fleets take refuge in Fort Bahren, if only to disengage from the naval contingents of the Pendragon Pact, whose constant efforts to intercept and destroy any German ships they sighted were proving to be a detestable annoyance. Even so, it was unclear amongst the officers of the Task Force if Crontor had any intention of tangling with the Pendragon Pact, especially in such a distant corner of the Imperial Federation.

"From the Oberkommando der Marine: Führer permits and authorises current operational plan regarding SOUESCOM assistance offer. Fleet commanders to undertake all measures to execute safe withdrawal to Fort Bahren. However, additional measures to be taken to ensure fleet security is not compromised. Further instructions forthcoming."

For Admiral Müller, the message meant nothing new. It only confirmed and formally authorised what was already reality in the waters off Aerus, with the Sixth and Seventh Fleets changing course towards the northwest towards Fort Bahren. However, the speed at which the OKM had cabled the Task Force, especially with such orders from the highest level of government appeared to indicate something else was in the offing between the Imperial Federation and the Greater Aryan Race. What exactly that "something" was though, Admiral Müller had not the slightest idea.

"Sir? Any further orders?" The request from the subaltern onboard the bridge temporarily jolted the Admiral from his thoughts. He wasted no time firing off his next round of instructions.

"Maintain current course northwest at 0-8-2 degrees. Instruct lead ships to continually broadcast their location coordinates for the attention of CAF military assets in the area. I want a secure line established with the Commandant of the Fort Bahren garrison as well."

First Army
Gotenhafen
Southwestern Utara

Further north, the troop transports and amphibious assault ships that carried the men and vehicles of 1st Army began making landfall at the southern and southwestern corners of the Reich, to the collective relief of all onboard that their ordeal was over, at least for the time being. On land, crowds of citizens began thronging the harbour, eager to catch a glimpse of the men of the 1st Army that had so unceremoniously been ejected from Marquesan territory after the botched Operation Raphael.

As the first troop transports halted to offload their precious cargo of soldiers and tanks and assorted vehicles, tugboats and various other support craft raced out from their moorings to intercept and escort the more damaged ships to safety while further out at sea, additional warships were being mobilized to patrol the outer boundaries of the GAR's maritime borders, in the event that any enemy vessel tried to sneak through. Several transports were already listing precipitously, others belching fire and smoke as a result of damage sustained from the Pendragon air attacks.

As the first soldiers finally managed to place their feet on dry ground, they were greeted with a chorus of cheers from those citizens present at Gotenhafen's harbour. A nearby military band, in an effort to present a positive face on the proceedings, began playing military marches. Yet amidst the general wave of jubilation and happiness, there were also intermittent scenes of grief and anguish as the first casualty lists were being compiled and anxious family members sought to ascertain the final fate of their loved ones in the 1st Army. And casualties had been heavy, running in the thousands, for several transports had been sunk as they tried to evade repeated Pendragon naval and aerial attacks. The fluid and hectic atmosphere of the battle zone had prevented the Kriegsmarine from picking up any survivors from those ships that had gone down, which essentially doomed those unlucky survivors who had managed to survive their ships' sinking to a watery grave in the frigid waters of Sondria. Only a few hundred corpses had been recovered, in addition to the bodies of those killed onboard their ships from enemy missile or naval gunfire.

Similar scenes were being played out in Danzig and Königsberg where other troops transports had docked themselves, in order to avoid contesting the waters off Gotenhafen. Colonel-General Franz Thiele, 1st Army Commanding General, himself disembarked at Königsberg along with his Chief of Staff, Major-General Fritz Jursa and the rest of his command staff, from which they reported to the district OKW Headquarters for debriefing. Several hours later, the OKW formally notified the Colonel-General that the Führer had decided to award him the Iron Cross First-Class, on account of his skilled handling of the 1st Army's deployment and evacuation from Marquesan.

These proceedings aside, the Greater Aryan Race now had to deal with the arduous task of burying the dead of 1st Army and grieving for those who perished in action in the naval battles off Marquesan and southern Aerus. The Reich Government promptly declared three days of national mourning with church services being held across the Reich to commemorate the fallen dead of the Wehrmacht. Grief and bitterness soon gave way once more to expressions of outrage and more calls for vengeance against the Pendragon states responsible for this perfidious crime. In time, the Greater Aryan Race would wreck vengeance on those who had deceitfully and suddenly attacked it without any warning.

by **Aquilinia** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:12 am

IFC Ministry of State
Vienna, Crontor

14.45 local

Vix laughed inwardly. If Suderity had thought her mother would be impressed by his threats, he clearly had no clue who he was talking to. The defeat at Beblis had left a mark on the Empire - and nobody was keen on repeating those events. However, thanks to recent advances in medical and military technology made by the Goliath Corporation, a repeat of Beblis was unlikely.

As her daughter had predicted, the Vicar stayed perfectly calm. "Messere Suderity, you and I both know that we are not here to exchange threats. The Empire certainly has no interest in a war with anyone. But if we are drawn into one, we will be prepared. We may have decomissioned the Icarus system, but don't get your hopes up. We may have been in isolation for over a decade, but the Lord Protector certainly knew that this isolation wouldn't last forever. So he prepared." Her voice remained calm, but her smile grew wider as she continued.

"You see, Messere, while we no longer have orbital strike capabilities, our nuclear capabilities have greatly increased. And thanks to advances in medical technology, we won't have to worry about the impact on our own people as much as we used to. If the IFC decides to attack Aquilinia, we would wipe you off the map before your troops reach the first village beyond the border. So, let's not go there, shall we?" She shook her head. "I think we have reached an impasse. So, rather than discuss what would happen if we were to go to war, why not talk about preserving peace, instead?"

by **Marquesan** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:29 am

Ekranoplan Docking Cradles,
Umatac, Lifou Prefecture,
Union of Marquesan States.
Local Time: 0630 Hours.

Dawn. The sky was clear and the air was cold; the light of sunrise over the massive coastal city of Umatac lit the clean sky in shades of peach and rose. At the docking cradles, row after row of enormous Capricorn-class transports sat with their loading doors wide open. Vehicles and men and equipment were being staged and loaded as fast as they could be accommodated aboard their transports. The massive turbofans of one Capricorn were beginning to be spun up, one at a time as it prepared to be pushed out into the water. Overhead, a squadron of Warden-class airships escorting a column of Osiris-class dropships hummed along nearly-silent in the cold, crisp air of early morning. Vehicles ran with their lights on as it was still mostly dark outside. Most soldiers sat on their helmets, drinking hot coffee or tea that steamed in the -5°C morning air. A circle of Erjunhite, Iohanni, Gristol-Serkonosean and Marquesan commanders stood near one of the docking cradles, speaking in low voices and occasionally gesturing here and there as loading continued. Out at sea, a pair of gigantic Acheron-class carriers seemed to hover on the horizon, their aircraft flying in from the mainland in squadrons of four. Every few minutes, the quiet morning would be interrupted by the tearing sound of fighter aircraft engines as they flew overhead; Headhunters and Blackhearts, Divine Winds, Spitfires and Revenants flew to their waiting carriers as the big Acherons turned slowly northward to join their waiting attack group just out of sight to the northeast of Umatac, a group that had left its port at Salima, Coevity yesterday in the early morning and had traveled at flanking speed to join the group at Umatac.

The city seemed alive with movement as allied and domestic units loaded their container ships and transports, ready for a fight and headed northward to join one. Every few minutes, a mag-lev train carrying Erjunhite or Marquesan soldiers and equipment would arrive to find waiting trucks to carry them to the loading docks. This movement had continued unabated now for two days as Army units came from all over Lifou, Ataa, Arue and Amirantes to join a massive effort to defend The Midlands from invasion. From all over the Sea of Arrack, transport ships were arriving at the docks to load tens of thousands of CasCons aboard, carrying supplies, ammunition, weapons, everything needed to fight a protracted conflict. One by one, the huge Capricorns pushed out to sea, running up their gigantic engines, making their takeoff runs. One by one, they would leave the water, riding on a cushion of dense air just above the surface as they turned to the northwest, toward the mouth of the Sea of Arrack, The Midlands and the dangers that await them at the hands of the Crontorians who had so rapidly seized the country.

Triao, Oleron Prefecture,
Union of Marquesan States.

It had been with a growing unease that the movements of Crontorian troops just a few hundred kilometers north had been observed by satellites and by high-altitude Warden-class airships and their powerful gigapixel cameras. In response, a growing buildup of Marquesan Army vehicles and men had begun. In a wide arc from the Sea of Arrack through Pleiku, Lumphat, Hekou and Muang, the border was being reinforced. Castra after Castra went up as units moved from as far south as Tanapag and Garapan, Fadang, Aguijan, Tinian and Barrigada moved up. Using the deep, navigable rivers and lakes of Oleron's interior, shallow-draft Nightshade-class fast attack cutters steamed up from the deep interior of Amirantes while Sobek-class Corvettes and Tiamat-class Destroyers numbering in the hundreds steamed up the eastern coast of the country to the river delta city of Muang where a battle group was gathering.

During the night, the first Battle Group to have left Pandora for the mainland had steamed within the vicinity of Muang with four Acheron-class carriers and one of the massive Sea-Dweller class Superdreadnoughts. Arrayed around its capital ship and the four carriers, the ships stood off in the deep blue water offshore, glimmering in the morning sun with battle flags raised on their masts. More would come, with the waters between the mainland and Pandora practically churning with the wakes of Marquesan warships moving to reinforce the northern border of the country. In the interior, reserve units were being activated to take the place of regular Army units that had been patrolling the war-torn streets of Kanto. Throughout the country, rail lines, rivers and highways were choked with tactical vehicles all headed north. The air, too, was thick with airships and aircraft, as though the entire country had been set in motion. Millions of men and women were in motion, the heavy combined weight of the newly-formed Union Armed Forces had been set into motion. Coordination between land, air and naval assets filled the airwaves.

Here at Triao, a massive lakeside city turned into the staging point for units headed northward to the border, the hills were covered in the tracks of passing tracked and wheeled vehicles and the air was thick with the dust of their movement. Everything was in motion; civilian vehicles simply tried to stay out of the way as the guns of the Marquesan Army moved north in vehicles of every shape and size, most freshly-painted in sage and tan, a color pattern that matched the deep deserts of southern Crontor as much as they matched the rolling grasslands of Oleron. By nightfall, the first Marquesan Lances would be crossing the borders of The Midlands under heavy armor at Panthor, Mortimber and Endvanka. Simultaneously, landings would be taking place at Lohorec, Zilpen, Nunrice and Hradny. Stretching off to the west of Triao were columns of Shiva and Chimera tanks escorted by Orcus tank destroyers and vanguards of Mithras and Boreas wheeled armor escorting Minerva SPAAG's by the hundreds. Following the heavily-armored spearheads were logistics trains that stretched from horizon to horizon. A flight of eighty Reaper-class assault transports flew low over the city as they gained altitude, escorted by the long stiletto silhouettes of Blackheart-class Penetrator/Interdictors. An inexorable momentum was beginning, as a country mobilized for what, by all accounts, looked like the fight of the century.

The Freastal, The Suíochán,
Carthage, Elder Republic of Erjunhuf.

Delphine waited for everyone to be seated and for Asher's interaction with Captain Corvin to be complete before continuing his speech with an expression of concern carved into his tired face. "Friends, what we propose has never been tried in modern history. The Marquesas will unite under a single Republic. With the help of our friends at SWORD and with input from Marquesan advisors at home and abroad, we have constructed a draft for a totally new form of government which will eliminate the noble classes entirely and abolish the military government. Government of the country will be from the bottom up; every neighborhood of five hundred households will elect from its body a council to govern it. Each council will send a delegate to a higher level, and so on, and so on. These councils will be limited in their scope to specific roles, so that no council may over-reach its power. The councils will also send delegates to Council Courts to provide check-and-balance for government, to restrict it and ensure that it functions with efficiency."

Delphine paused to collect himself, turning the page in his notes before he continued. "We will eliminate the Income Tax imposed by the Shogunate and instead, will tax the value of land directly to the landholder. We will also tax bank accounts and currency notes with a demurrage, or a negative interest rate. The government shall never be allowed to run on a deficit; councils and councillors may be recalled at any time to ensure transparency. Replacing the system of nobility in The Marquesas shall be a system of tiered citizenship based on individual effort and merit, rather than heredity. The people, too, shall have a voice and a vote in the way the country is run and money spent; referendums shall be commonplace. The rights of the individual shall be dramatically expanded and, at the same time, the role of government shall be limited. Maximum freedom and minimum interference. We shall introduce a national healthcare system for the first time. The national education system shall be dramatically expanded while the power and influence of the military over the nation's government shall be tightly reined-in. Industry shall be governed by collectives that regulate and supervise without actual management. Citizens and residents, one and all, will be granted a guaranteed basic income from collected tax revenue, so that no Marquesan, regardless of his standing or financial wherewithal shall be left behind. No more shall military spending make up the majority of tax expenditures, however we shall remain strong, in the face of terrorists, in the face of foreign militaries, even in the face of our warlike northern neighbors. The Marquesas shall be united and will stand unflinchingly as one, side-by-side with her allies in these darkest days. What questions do you have?" Delphine looked around the room inquisitively to those gathered in The Freastal and waited for responses.

by **Psichikou** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:07 pm

Presidential Palace
Koshelev, Kamchastkia
24.1.16
Local Time: 14:55

The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked out the window of the armored limo that had just gathered him from Kamchastkia National Airport. It was a sunny, cloudless day in Koshelev, very fitting for the occasion, thought those who watched the motorcade pass. Different thoughts occupied Efstathios Akrivou's mind as he observed the passing scenery. Had there been cameras to accompany the microphones in the bugged limo, they would have recorded a brooding expression on Akrivou's face as he sat in silence. A concerned, thoughtful face, with no small degree of worry over the upcoming negotiations. It was odd that the two nations did not have more cordial relations, the Minister thought, and even odder that Tretyakov had felt the need to isolate his country so, all those many years ago. Really the people of Psichiko and Kamchastkia were not so different, especially when compared with discrepancies between other, closer nations in Sondria. But none of that mattered now. The Kamch government had finally discovered reason on its own last week, and had announced a new Kamchastkia to the world, a Kamchastkia open to the import of new ideas and the rest of Sondria. This new policy would begin with official visits and trade deals with other nations in Sondria, and Psichiko was to lead off.

As the official limo rolled up to the Presidential Palace, reporters from all over Sondria were clamoring to get a look at Akrivou. They were roped into an area behind the soldiers in dress uniform who lined the red carpet that lead to the palace. At the end of the carpet was President Simon Denisov and an interpreter. Denisov had an aura of regality about him, made all the more impressive still by the towering palace of white marble behind him and the crisp, newly pressed military uniform decorated with a sea of medals, a look completed by his spit-shined boots.

The camera flashes began as the door to the limo was opened by a Kamch guard and Minister Akrivou stepped out. He had assumed his usual diplomatic smile: polite and amiable, but not too friendly and impossible to read. Even the Kamch intelligence officers hidden in the windows of the palace above couldn't decide what the Minister was thinking as he began to approach the palace. The military band opposite the reporter section had already begun it's welcoming song, which had been hastily relearned after composers struggled to recreate the song last played over thirty years ago.

The bursts of light from the reporter's cameras became a blinding sea of white as the Minister continued towards the President. Cameramen from all the major national and international news networks tracked Akrivou as he slowly walked down the carpet. He was milking it, thought observers, as all politicians and high-ranking diplomats did. They loved the attention, the reporters knew. Akrivou was a former politician, and personal friend of the Psichikan Prime Minister. Though a skilled diplomatic technician, he was still a former politician and was perfectly happy to relive the perks of his former profession.

He finally made it to the President. Greetings were exchanged through the interpreter, and they ostentatiously shook hands for the cameras. The president put his hand on Akrivou's back and gestured inside, and the pair began to walk into the palace, trailed by the interpreter. Their short walk was interrupted by a brilliant flash, followed after a pause by the shrill screams of both the dying and the living, cutting through the smoke like one of the many sabres dropped by the injured guards.

* * * * *

Imperial Hotel
Koshelev, Kamchastkia
18.1.16
Local time: 15:10

"Explosion at the Kamch Presidential Palace... Among the dead are Psichikan Foreign Minister Akrivou and Kamch President-General Denisov... Official death toll at 34 and rising... Massive impact on trade talks and reopening of diplomatic relations... Bomb was hidden in an adjacent pot..."

Yuriy Yevseyev listened to the reporter drone on, as he observed the gaping hole in the palace through the television with emotionless eyes. Others in his position might have been elated, or perhaps worried, but Yevseyev knew that the elimination of the Minister and President was only the opening move of his scheme, and what was there to worry about? His operational security was flawless. Perhaps later, after further operations and within sight of victory he would celebrate. With those further victories also came more of a risk to himself, but he had subordinates to finish what he had just started. Yes, now was only a time for calculation, planning and caution.

He rose from the couch and walked out the door with his luggage. Downstairs he checked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi cab. He was in his early forties, and bore a small, black beard with short black hair to go along with his Slavic features. He wore a sport coat over a white dress shirt, and seemed to be a businessman to anyone who took note of him. There were very few that did; many businessmen were in this part of the city. Once inside the taxi, he looked out the window and thought. Just like Akrivou had done less than an hour ago, he realized with amusement.

The taxi arrived at its destination a half hour later. They were in a middle-income, nondescript neighborhood of townhouses and flats. Yevseyev paid his fare and stepped out of the taxi. He walked towards to a door a couple houses down, but as soon as the taxi rounded the corner he abruptly continued down the block. As he walked to his true destination, he took a weaving, sporadic path, occasionally looking over his shoulder. It was a classic counter-surveillance tactic, meant to detect tails. Once he was satisfied that no one was following him, he relaxed a bit and took in the neighborhood. His colleague had done well in choosing this place, he thought. It had a grey, boring facade, just like all the other houses on the street, but it was a facade in more than one way.

Yevseyev knocked on the door, and stepped inside as it was opened. Of course, there was a lookout who had alerted the others to Yevseyev's presence, but it would look odd to the casual observer for the door to open just as he stepped up to the door.

The door was answered by a man in his mid thirties, with Slavic features similar to Yevseyev. In fact, they were similar to nearly all the residents of the neighborhood. The neighborhood was largely native Kamch.

"Ah, Yuriy! It is so good to see you! Come inside, come inside," the man said with a grin on his face.
"Thank you Mark," Yevseyev said smiling as he stepped inside after the man.
Another man closed the door behind him as he followed Mark Yegorov into the kitchen.
"Would you like a drink, my friend?"
"Yes, that would be nice. You have tea, I presume?"
"Of course, of course. We’re not quite like the alcoholic heathen whose minister we just blew up!"
"I suppose not, Mark," Yevseyev observed with a chuckle.
Yegorov retrieved a kettle from the stove. He poured some into small glass and handed it to Yevseyev, then poured himself a glass.
"To our successful operation, the future of the people, the faith, and Allah," Yevseyev toasted.
"Zazdarovje."
"Zazdarovje," Yevseyev exclaimed as both men downed their drinks.
"So," Yevseyev continued after a pause, "when will the assets be in place for your next operation?"
"Very soon, perhaps by the day after tomorrow. It seems there is no shortage of Kamchastkians who disagree with the recent policy changes of our government, and are willing to take action to correct it. Finding new recruits has not been an issue, nor has funding been. Al Hafa has been very generous to us. It is now a question of getting our assets into place."
"That is all well and good now Mark, but as we progress you must remember that some may lose their stomach for this sort of work. The government, obviously, will also attempt to penetrate our organization once they find out who we are. Be careful."
"Of course, of course. By the way, when will we claim responsibility for the attacks?"
"Tomorrow, I think."
"Brilliant, how will it be done?"
"By letter. I shall write it up tonight, and a hand will drop it in a post box across town in the morning."
"I have plenty of men capable of performing that end," laughed Yegorov.
"Yes, I should hope so, Mark!" exclaimed Yevseyev with a gleam in his eyes. "But you have proven that you have men capable of much more than delivering a letter. I would again like to commend you on your recent work. You have been a very good friend in past years, and a very effective, loyal associate in recent."
Yegorov's face turned serious. "Effective enough to become your right hand, Yuriy?"
Yevseyev's face suddenly reflected Yegorov's. "You know I cannot make my decision now, not until Vavilov carries out his operation. I need to be able to compare your performances, I need to know that I am making the best decision for the organization. We have been friends for a very long time Mark, but I must not make decisions based on such connections. You know that."
"Very well. I understand, Yuriy."
"Thank you. Is my room ready?"
"Yes, I'll have one of my men show you to it."

* * * * *

Prásino Leofóros 13,
Corinth, Psichiko
19.1.16
Local Time: 11:17

The Prime Minister's desk phone flashed. Nikos Karelis was almost surprised by it; very few people had his access to his private line. Acting Foreign Minister Christos Karvelas was one of those people.

"Mr. Prime Minister, it's Karvelas. The Kamch have forwarded us a letter, and I think you should see it."
"Very well, come on in."

Perhaps Karvelas might be a better choice than Pantazi, mused Karelis as he cleaned his desk of clutter. He had certainly proven himself to be capable of the job, even in such short time. It was something to think more on later, he decided.

There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"So, what have you got for me this time?" Karelis asked as the Acting ForMin stepped inside his office.
"Well, it seems that we know who did the bombing in Koshelev. The Kamch government received this letter at eleven this morning from a group called Ruka Allakha, Allah’s Hand. We have a full translation here," Karvelas told the PM as he placed the letter on the desk.
"Thank you, I'll read this on my own."
"Yes sir." Karvelas left.

Yuriy Yevseyev
Ruka Allakha
Base of Operations
18, January, 2016

Yetis Komarov
The Government of the Fourth Republic of Kamchastkia
1 Tretyakov Street
Koshelev, Kamchastkia

Dear Acting President-General Yefim Komarov,

Due to the recent actions of your government, we have felt the need to remind you of the will of Allah, and by extension, the people. We orchestrated the killing of Former President-General Simon Desinov because he had strayed from the true ideology of our people, the ideology that has given us success, prosperity and stability for so long. Former President-General Simon Desinov and the rest of the current Kamch government have collectively forgotten the true path. They have forgotten that we must not allow the kafirs to dilute the genetic, cultural, and religious purity of the Kamch people. The death of the Psi Foreign Minister was necessary to remind the inferiors of the same message.

There will be another attack. After that, we will give you the choice of continuing down your corrupt path or reverting your ways to reflect the will of Allah. If you choose to continue the destruction of our purity of faith and societal prosperity with the influence of foreigners, we will be forced to create a new government, one that values the sovereignty and superiority of our people, second only to the word of the Prophet Muhammad.

Please consider the future carefully.

For the glory of Kamchastkia,
Yuriy Yevseyev
Ruka Allakha

Extremist Groups in Sondria (Map)

by **Crontor** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:29 am

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Administrative District of Crontor;
Columbia Province;
Vienna:

Minister of State Suderity held steady, arching his eyebrows slightly at the Aquilinian response. For a solid minute, there was silence between the two parties before a smiled crept across Suderity’s face and he chuckled warmly, “I for one am glad to see that the Empire has not gotten soft in its time of isolation.”

“You aren’t idiots, so I’m not going to explain the geopolitical situation. But from the Crontorian perspective, we may be in some deep shit very shortly. We know that the IFC will be forced to fight on several fronts over the course of this war and while we have utmost confidence in the abilities of the Crontorian Armed Forces, we are not fortunetellers. We had similar confidence last time around and that operation went less than swimmingly.”

“Last time, we had to contend with two immediate threats to the homeland, both your Empire and the Shogunate. We are hoping to effectively shutter one of those theaters of operations by establishing an agreement with the Empire. I do not think it is in the best interest of either of our countries to fight again, we have no quarrel with you. Ideally we would want your assistance in the coming fight as our fledgling anti-Pendragon alliance could always stand to gain some more muscle. We understand if your nation does not want to get involved in the conflict but at the very least ask for peace.”

“What do you think about this proposal?”

Sender: Ministry of State of the Imperial Federation of Crontor
Receiver: The Greater Aryan Race
Encryption: Top Secret
Subject: Betrayal by the Pendragon Pact

We are more than happy to host your delegates for immediate emergency talks regarding the developing geopolitical situation in Sondria. Our nations are linked and united by a common enemy which wishes to destroy our nations and enslave our people. The Imperial Federation is committed to fighting this vile enemy to the very death and is of now preparing to launch a total war against its enemies.

The news of your fleets safe passage into Crontorian waters has been met with much relief here in Vienna. We hope that the coming talks establish a further basis for military cooperation between our two great nations. Heading the talks will be none other than Supreme Commander Crogden of the Crontorian Armed Forces. We await your arrival.

Alan Suderity
Minister of State of the Imperial Federation of Crontor

Sondria;
Aerus;
Bahren;
Fort Bahren:

Field Marshal Shane Crennitz had never expected to see this much action at an isolated Crontorian outpost. While outpost was certainly the wrong description for a military installation the size of Fort Bahren, which covered dozens of square kilometers in barracks, hangars, and storage facilities, the amount of action here basically amounted to an outpost. In the three years Field Marshal Crennitz had been stationed here, the base had not seen anything even resembling a combat action. And now, a foreign fleet under fire and pursued by what was seen as an assemblage of the enemies of the Imperial Federation was chasing them.

Standing over the Battle Display Table (BDT) which was showing a second by second holographic progression of the theater of combat, all known units highlighted by affiliation, Field Marshal Crennitz plotted his move. The force currently at Bahren was a skeleton force, having retained its air and naval forces, but with the five Army Groups usually stationed here sent back to the Imperial Federation for combat operations there. Fort Bahren still packed a devastating punch, but its presence was mostly symbolic. Ever since Supreme Commander Crogden initiated the Homeland Defense Review and began shuttering foreign bases, Fort Bahren inherited a series of smaller Operational Combat Commands and became the headquarters and sole base of operations for Southeastern Command (SOUESCOM).

Flights of Super Cerastes had been dispatched from the Combat Air Divisions based at Fort Bahren and were conducting circular patrols around Crontorian airspace, providing a quick strike capability should Pendragon decide to turn its guns on Bahren or pursue the Germans into Crontorian waters. Two Combat Surface Groups, their forces stretched into two wide arcs, were steaming towards the German forces, allowing a gap for the besieged Germans to pass through the middle. Their aircraft were ready and radars scanning, although they had been given strict orders not to fire upon enemy vessels unless first fired on. Across Fort Bahren, SOUESCOM units were ordered to combat readiness with patrolling fleets ordered back to the island.

An incoming transmission was detected from the German forces and passed along to the Field Marshal, “This is Field Marshal Crennitz of the Imperial Federation. How can we help?”

by **Aquilinia** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 11:36 am

IFC Ministry of State
Vienna, Crontor

14.50 local

The Imperial Vicar nodded. "An understandable position, Messere Suderity. And I doubt I will have to explain to you that the United Empire, at this point in time, has no interest in getting involved in any form of military conflict. You will have heard of the recent attacks in the Crown of Kyato, which have caused a major blow to our citizen's confidence in their security. For this reason, I can assure you that the United Empire will remain fully neutral in any upcoming conflicts in the near future, unless of course it is attacked first.

The one thing we demand in return is that the Imperial Federation choose the same position, at least in their dealings with the United Empire. To this end, I propose that we sign a treaty of non-aggression between the United Empire of Aquilinia and the Imperial Federation of Crontor."

by **Mahdah** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:11 pm

Unknown location, FAIR, Eastern Alkharania,
Sondria.

In front of a laptop sat Umar Rahim Haddad who was mostly known across Sondria's Muslim populations as the mouth piece of Al Hafa and was a some what popular uploader of videos across social media sites which showed successful Al Hafa operations in Kyushu against it's enemies and speeches and other videos that popularize the terrorist group. The name he operated under as one of Al Hafa's front's for it's social media arm was under the guise of 'UmmahTV' and with the threat of his own security being hampered if his IP was ever tracked by one of Sondria's numerous intelligence agencies, he therefore mostly used the internet to post videos or just general browsing with multiple proxy IPs that would have his location be somewhere in Sondria other than where he actually was, hopefully throwing off any intelligence services trying to track him. The black flag of Al Hafa draped above him on the wall signified where his allegiances lied as he was working on a new video of fresh content sent to him through a file from Kyushu. He also had obtained the GoPro footage from the recent attacks in Aquiliana which had received regional outrage although it didn't matter to Umar, he was doing this for the good of Islam.

Organizing the footage into a video was particularly easy for Umar, beginning with the intro which was a harmonious nasheed and the black flag of Al Hafa being shown before going right into a segment with a narrator who speaks on Marquesan atrocities against their own people and displays pictures and small videos about the subject, cities in ruins and general discomfort in the Shogunate. Then adding another nasheed, Umar begun putting in the footage obtained recently from a militant fighter in Kyushu, the footage generally showed successful battles of Al Hafa against local security forces and some Marquesan units in the fighting at Rae Bali, interviews with some of the foreign fighters with several being Eragosians and one particular fighter that hails from Marquesan it's self from the city of Danran which had in recent months been the scene of brutal fighting. Umar then put in the GoPro footage received from Aquiliana which showed the attacks on the Dagger and the Jasmine Palace. The ending of the video was made with another harmonious nasheed and the black flag of Al Hafa before fading to black and the video ending.

Umar satisfied with his handy work, uploaded the video to the social media sites he knew of which were the ones most popular to Sondrians across the region.

by **Gristol-Serkonos** » Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:32 pm

OOC: EDITS WERE MADE, AS PROMISED.

Main Staging Point, IGSN Easternmost Naval Assets
Operation Containment

Vice Admiral Kjellsson ordered the 145th to full speed. Ships of varying sizes from the Sea Dweller-class Superdreadnoughts to the Kymenlaasko-class frigates moved into their formations. It was a daring plan to force the Germans into submission, a result of intense planning between Home Command, the Admiralty, and the Rieshistagi. Immediately following their push north, command of the combined fleets was given to 23rd Imperial Fleet Admiral Christopher Agoncillo, the highest ranking officer in the area. As Vice Admiral Kjellsson was the most experienced in combat against the German Navy, Agoncillo gave him authority to order other Vice Admirals in the event of the Germans going down fighting.

The plan was a traditional gunboat diplomacy. The two fleets will be divided into two commands. With the 145th joining the 23rd Fleet, the naval force would sail to the western coast. The 89th, 91st, and the 145th NTF would be positioned directly towards the western coast, one nautical mile from the EEZ. The remaining units of the 23rd Fleet, the 92nd and 94th NTF on reserve. The 24th Fleet set sail several days ahead of the 23rd Fleet, skimming through the Bahrensian archipelago in the southern Telrainan landmass. They would then swing north, skimming the eastern coast until the reach the east coast of the German mainland. They will be positioned one nautical mile from the EEZ facing directly towards the eastern coast of the German mainland.

Ahead of the fleet's movements, a message was transmitted to all frequencies used by the German High Command.

MESSAGE TO THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND
FROM THE IMPERIAL OFFICE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

THE IMPERIAL GRISTOL-SERKONOSEAN NAVY

DECLARATION 78, APPROVED UNDER THE WAR MEASURES ACT.

UNDER ARTICLE 214 OF THE WAR MEASURES ACT OF 1982, A STATE OF HOSTILITIES IS NOW IN EFFECT.
IN ADDITION, WITH THE DECLARATION OF ARTICLE 214, THE SELECTIVE WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY OF THE VALTORUM DOCTRINE IS IN EFFECT.
THIS DECLARATION FORMALLY WITHDRAWS ALL RECOGNITION OF STATEHOOD, AND TERRITORIAL CLAIMS OF THE GREATER ARYAN RACE IN THE UTARAN LANDMASS.
THE RIESHISTAGI FURTHER DEMANDS THE SURRENDER OF THE KREIGSMARINE AND LUFTWAFFE TO THE GRISTOL-SERKONOSEAN FORCES UNDER THE COMMAND OF ADMIRAL CHRISTOPHER AGONCILLO, DESIGNATE: TWENTY-THIRD SEA LORD.

THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN BY THE IMPERIAL FLEETS:

TO ESTABLISH A BLOCKADE TO INTERFERE AND DISRUPT CIVILIAN MARITIME TRAFFIC TO AND FROM THE GERMAN MAINLAND.
TO BE POSITIONED ONE (1) NAUTICAL MILE OR 1.85 KILOMETRES FROM THE ECONOMIC EXCLUSION ZONE OF THE GERMAN MAINLAND.
TO ELIMINATE GERMAN CAPACITY FOR FORCE PROJECTION.
TO OVERSEE THE SURRENDER AND DECOMMISSIONING OF THE AIR AND SEA ASSETS AND UNITS OF THE GERMAN KREIGSMARINE AND THE LUFTWAFFE.

SHOULD THESE PROVISIONS WERE NOT MET WITHIN FOUR DAYS, A CITY WILL BE TARGETED BY AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE WEAPON.

THE TARGET CITY OF THIS ATTACK WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE FLEET IN THE AREA.

UNDER THE WAR MEASURES ACT OF 1982 AND THE 2015 FOREIGN POLICY AND COLLECTIVE SECURITY TO PRESERVE PENDRAGON PRIMACY, DECLARATION 78 IS ENACTED BY THE RIESHISTAGI BY A DEMOCRATIC VOTE.

CONSEI-ESTADI - FOR: 594, AGAINST: 32
CONSEI-SENATI - FOR: 154, AGAINST: 20

The message was sent, and the fleet continued on.

The 23rd Fleet sailed north as they approached the main Telrainan landmass as the 24th sailed through the Bahrensia Archipelago. Across the two fleets, the scout planes of the Imperial Naval Aviation were launched. Squadrons upon squadrons of fighters were launched, forming a bigger reconnaissance perimetre around the naval vessels. The carriers and the battleships form the core of the fleet as the destroyers and frigates are on the defensive perimetre. Submarines ranging from the Kainuu-class attack subs to the Kårtejaure-class ballistic missile subs stalk the depths of the ocean. Given the events that transpired in Ellada, the naval force expects Germans to go down fighting. But they were ready for whatever happens and inflict as much damage as they could before the entire naval force is wiped out.

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:48 am

Near the Timargistani Eastern Border
Northern Sondria

Amidst the frigid tundras that made up much of the landscape of the outermost fringes of Sondria, scores of German Landsers huddled around their carefully-managed campfires warming themselves up by the fires while in the background, scores of KPz. Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks accompanied by SPz Pumas and GTK Boxer armoured personnel carriers as well as all sorts of military vehicles moved towards their various regimental depots or motor pools that had become complacent in this veritable little hub of German military activity. Overhead, scores of Airbus A400M air transporters descended from the skies like great steel birds of prey onto the massive airfields that had been constructed to house all sorts of aircraft at the disposal of the Luftwaffe and the Heeresflieger (English: Army Aviation Corps). Now and again, an Airbus A400M took off from one the many runways that criss-crossed this poor tortured landscape, while rows upon rows of Eurofighter Typhoons and Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters sat parked neatly along the tarmac.

The German military build-up in Northern Sondrian had been ordered by the OKW ostensibly for the purpose of conducting further military exercises to improve the combat readiness of the various service branches of the Wehrmacht. And certainly this had been the case for the Timargistani security forces monitoring the proceedings from the safety of their bunkers and watch-towers from across the border, who could not ignore the massive columns of armoured vehicles simulating various manoeuvres and fire-missions, their armoured threads tearing up great quantities of earth and mud while kicking up great dust clouds. Nor could they ignore the marines of the Kriegsmarine engaged in simulated amphibious operations, storming various stretches of the coastline again and again.

However amidst this cacophony of military activity, something else was afoot that discerning observers would've picked up. The Wehrmacht was increasing the volume of troops being brought to northern Sondria for manoeuvres, while construction of more and bigger military bases in the area was steadily being accelerated. What should have triggered alarm bells was the deployment of the elite 1st SS Panzer Corps to the area as well. The 1st SS Panzer Corps, comprising the most elite Waffen-SS panzer divisions in the German Army, was arguably the premier military formation in the Wehrmacht in terms of quality and troop strength. Even the troops themselves could scarcely have noticed that something was up. Occasionally, a group of senior staff officers could be seen conferring at the coast and making detailed observations of the terrain and the state of the German forces present.

To disguise this rapid build-up, the OKW began embarking on a massive scheme of disinformation to maintain the image that German troops really were traveling north for additional training exercises. Newspapers ran scores of articles detailing the Wehrmacht's newest round of war games while the Abwehr, the Military Intelligence Department, began spreading false intelligence and doctored documents that appeared to create the impression of a Wehrmacht that was unprepared for war and her senior commanders worried about the fighting condition of the military, for the consumption of the Pendragon member-states. Stringent security measures were also being implemented to discourage any leakage of sensitive information. Thus a Colonel who inadvertently let slip several remarks about the deployment of field forces to northern Sondria suddenly found himself under investigation by the Geheime Feldpolizei (English: Secret Field Police; responsible for counter-espionage and security work in the Wehrmacht), while a dock worker who took photographs of several MARS artillery pieces was immediately detained and placed under protective custody at the Reich Ministry for State Security's local branch office.

Likewise, the OKW carefully concealed the build-up by sending whole units of men across the waters that separated Utara from the frigid fringes of northern Sondria in the morning and withdrawing a smaller portion at night. Thus a regiment of men would travel northwards while a battalion of that same regiment would return to the Reich, thus creating the impression that they had come back for training duty. In all aspects of this, measures were undertaken to preserve an atmosphere of normalcy. Unless Marquesan, Gristol-Serokonos or Erjunhuf had moles planted in the German High Command, there was no way they could have detected the build-up. In any case, all of their attention was focused on the Midlands.

Vienna International Airport
Imperial Federation of Crontor

The Bombardier Global 5000 touched down onto the tarmac of Vienna's main airport, eventually slowing down before taxying towards it's designated holding point, as per the instructions of the Vienna ATC. Coming to a halt, the airport's ground crew needed no further prompting as they hurried to secure the now-stationary aircraft and offload whatever cargo the plane carried with it. Another team of technicians quickly moved an air-stair towards the main aircraft doors, for the purpose of allowing the aircraft's passengers to disembark safely from the vehicle to the ground.

Witnessing this little spectacle with a degree of bemusement, Reich Ambassador Walther von Viereck, Ambassador and Plenipotentiary Extraordinary to the Imperial Federation, watched as the aircraft doors of the Bombardier were finally opened, granting him the opportunity to catch sight of his newest guests for the first time. First to exit the aircraft was Lieutenant-General Karl Koske of the Reich Ministry for State Security, a stocky and perpetually unsmiling man who always glanced at everyone else as though they each contained some nefarious secret that he ought to prise from their fingers. Although what he actually did at The Firm remained a closely-guarded secret, bureaucrat gossip and chatter amongst the water dispensers of the Foreign Ministry indicated that he was most definitely involved in either counterintelligence or internal security work, a scalp hunter. Next was General of Panzer Troops Ehrenfried Sodan from the General Staff. Imperious, haughty and with all the demeanour of the typical stiff-necked Prussian officer-aristocrat, General Sodan grandly descended down the air-stairs as if he was now witnessing a military parade laid out for his inspection. Perhaps he really expected one as part of the welcoming committee. The last of the three, Reich Minister for Special Affairs Heinrich Heinke, Head of the Reich Chancellery and the Führer's man, emerged from the Bombardier Global 5000 and made his way down the air-stairs, without bothering to acknowledge an embassy official who greeted him at the bottom of the air-stairs.

Without further delay, the trio continued walking towards the main body of German diplomats and embassy staff members who had assembled to receive and greet their new overlords from the Reich. Reich Ambassador von Viereck, an old-school career diplomat with all the polish and carefully-cultivated civility of the Foreign Ministry, greeted the three men with a stiff bow before he began to speak.

"Herr Generals, Herr Reich Minister, it's my pleasure to welcome you all to Vienna, capital of Crontor. I certainly did not expect that the Reich Government would dispatch such distinguished dignitaries as yourselves to the Imperial Federation..."

Reich Minister Heinke cut him off. "Herr Reich Ambassador, you are as courteous as ever. Reich Minister Balck spoke highly of your work as our official representative to Crontor. But we're not here to exchange pleasantries and well-wishes."

"Indeed," General Sodan chimed in, "We're here because the Führer has tasked us with a most important assignment." Lieutenant-General Koske said nothing, merely staring ahead intently as his newfound quarry like a hawk watching it's prey.

"Of course, gentlemen. I have already arranged for a motorcade to bring you all to meet with the Crontorian representatives in the Capitol. If you would follow me." Reich Ambassador von Viereck replied. Without further delay, the German delegation was ushered into a black Mercedes limousine complete with security escort from the SS and motorcycle riders from the Crontorian security services. Several minutes later, the motorcade was hurtling through the busy and well-lit highways and roads of the Imperial Federation's capital.

"If I may, gentlemen," Reich Ambassador von Viereck continued, "you will all be meeting with Supreme Commander Crogden, the Head of the Crontorian Armed Forces. He and the rest of the Crontorian representatives will be awaiting you at our destination. They've already been notified of your arrival at Vienna."

"Tell me, what sort of man is Supreme Commander Crogden?" Reich Minister Heinke enquired.

"Well he's honest, a tad proud at heart, like most Crontorian patriots. He's wholly committed towards the betterment of his country and the furthering of Crontor's national interests. Crogden as Supreme Commander is also a member of President Carter's inner circle of advisors. In all aspects of military and national security issues, his advice is always sought out by the President and the Cabinet. Strangely though, he appears to harbour no political ambitions of his own."

"Hardly surprising. He's Commander of one of the most powerful Sondrian militaries in the region. It suits him more to remain Supreme Commander and master of several hundred million men and women at arms rather than be drawn into the rough-and-tumble of Crontorian politics." General Ehrenfried Sodan replied. Lieutenant-General Koske continued to remain silent, staring instead out at the streets of Vienna taking in the sight before him.

After several minutes of navigating traffic junctions and turns, the motorcade finally pulled up at one of the Crontorian government buildings in Vienna. The building's external facade bore all the familiar hallmarks of Crontorian architecture; big, white, expansive and pristine buildings fashioned out of concrete and granite, with not a single noticeable sign of decay. The building screamed power and prestige, like all other aspects of Crontor's government. Already there was a delegation of Crontorian officials waiting for them, some uniformed and some in simple suits. As the four Germans stepped out of their limousine , Reich Ambassador von Viereck took the lead and advanced towards the head of the Crontorian welcoming reception.

"Good morning to you Sir, I'm Reich Ambassador Walther von Viereck, diplomatic representative of the Greater Aryan Race. I have here with me," The Reich Ambassador gestured as he spoke, "three distinguished representatives of the German Government for the purpose of meeting Supreme Commander Crogden of the CAF."

KMS Friedrich Carl
Seventh Fleet
Joint Kriegsmarine Task Force

Admiral Karl Müller picked up the nearest receiver that was connected to the Crontorian garrison on Fort Bahren.

"Herr Generalfeldmarschall, this is Admiral Karl Müller of the Kriegsmarine, Commanding Officer of the Seventh Fleet. With me listening in is Admiral Berndt von Jungenfeld, commander of the Sixth Fleet. We have been authorised by our government and the German High Command to seek temporary refuge in Fort Bahren, from the hostile-negative forces of the Pendragon Pact."

"There are over forty ships in total from our two combined fleets. We have scores of ships damaged, soe critically while casualties have been fairly heavy. Current hostile naval assets include a Marquesan naval force some twenty to thirty-ship strong. We don't know what other Pendragon naval forces are out there but we assume there must probably be a few still lurking in the area."

"The two fleets of the Kriegsmarine are currently sailing in the general direction of Fort Bahren. We await any further instructions from yourself, Herr Generalfeldmarschall."

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:35 pm

Marineoberkommando Süd, Marineoberkommando Ost
The Greater Aryan Race
Utara, Sondria

In the wee hours of the morning, the first AEWC patrols of G550 CAEW and Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft operating from their airbases in Southern Utara began picking up unidentified radar concentrations of ships and aircraft approaching the southwestern waterways to the Greater Aryan Race. The lack of any viable response from IFF systems located along the southern coast of Utara indicated that these unknown bodies of ships and aircraft were certainly not friendly, but there was no way of identifying where they had come from.

Confirmation eventually came through the coast guard cutters and patrol ships of the Kriegsmarine and the Küstenwache, which were able to pick up and identify specifically the composition and makeup of the foreign intruders now positioning themselves along the southwest boundary of the GAR's EEZ. Several hours later, the radar display screens of air-traffic controllers and radar operators began displaying more large blips approaching the southeastern and easterly maritime boundaries of the GAR. The similarity of the radar frequencies and wireless communication formats between the two main bodies clearly showed that they hailed from the same foreign entity, Gristol-Serkonos.

Reacting instinctively, the Southern and Eastern Naval Commands (Marineoberkommando Süd und Marinoberkommando Ost) went into overdrive, scrambling all available battle fleets and aircraft available for the purpose of meeting the main enemy. The deployment of the Kriegsmarine's naval assets was accomplished in as little over a few hours, considering that the whole Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe had already been mobilised and placed on full alert by the Reich Government a month ago. Officers and men billeted onboard their ships were rudely awakened by the blaring of klaxons and loudspeakers announcing the immediate deployment of naval ships and aircraft to the southwest and southeast. In the various airfields that belonged to both the Marineflieger and the Luftwaffe, pilots and ground-crew raced to fuel and arm their Eurofighter Typhoons and F/A-18 Hornets parked on the tarmac in preparation for rapid take-off. Within three hours, the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger would soon put nearly two-hundred fighters in the air. Further inside Utara, Boeing B-52 bombers, equipped and capable of firing air-launched cruise missiles, were likewise being prepped and taking off towards designated meeting-points in the skies above the Greater Aryan Race.

On land, the numerous defence sectors within the two Marinoberkommandos were likewise placed on battle alert. Technicians and gunnery specialists raced to arm and activate the numerous Harpoon, RBS-15 and Exocet anti-shipping missile batteries, as well as numerous other SAM batteries, that dotted the coast of the Greater Aryan Race. Several gun-based naval artillery batteries were also activated, the guns being the same 16-inch calibre as those found on the Kriegsmarine's Iowa-Class battleships. Bristling with such defensive weapons, the entire southern coast of Utara was soon transformed into an integrated, lethal network of anti-shipping systems criss-crossed and interspersed amidst SAM batteries, coastal artillery, radar networks and telecommunications lines.

The two Marineoberkommandos soon managed to field several naval fleets against the three Gristol-Serkonosian naval fleets. From Marineoberkommando Süd came the Desheng Sea Naval Squadron (Konteradmiral Michael Günzburg), the Southern Fleet (Admiral Otto von Amsberg) and the Eighth Fleet (Admiral Albert Spreche). From Marineoberkommando Ost, the Far Eastern Fleet (Generaladmiral Helmuth Hoffmann), Second Fleet (Admiral Gerhard Hoffstädt) and Ninth Fleet (Admiral Heinz Rittner). Altogether, these naval fleets contained amongst them thirty-two Gerald R. Ford-Class aircraft-carriers (The Desheng Sea Naval Squadron only possessed one carrier battle group and one battleship battle group), twenty-two Iowa-Class battleships and numerous other assorted guided missile cruisers, destroyers and submarines. As the five battle fleets manoeuvred themselves into their own respective positions several nautical miles behind the Greater Aryan Race's EEZ facing the enemy, the OKW and the Reich Government received the first text of Gristol-Serkonos's ultimatum directed against the Reich.

The Führer, notified of the intrusion in his quarters within the Reich Chancellery, was stung at this gross act of arrogance committed by the Sovereign Empire. Determined to punish Gristol-Serkonos for her insulting act of war, the Führer ordered the OKW and the Reich Foreign Ministry to draft up his response to the aggressor, after which the Reich Government was instructed to notify the populace of these series of unfortunate developments. A clever game was played by releasing the complete text of the Imperial Foreign Office's ultimatum to the citizenry, for the purpose of provoking them to anger, which worked flawlessly. Outraged that Gristol-Serkonos would even contemplate such a foolhardy scheme, the German people responded with clamours for war and a punitive response against these "barbaric savages" as the German press now labelled the Sovereign Empire.

Official Communique of The Fascist Dictatorship Of The Greater Aryan Race

To: Imperial Office of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Sovereign Empire of Gristol-Serkonos
From: The Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Supreme Armed Forces High Command, Government of the Greater Aryan Race

Subject: Gristol-Serkonosian Aggression and Bellicosity

Encryption: TOP SECRET

Sir,

The Reich Chancellor and Führer, in his capacity as Head of State and Head of Government of the Greater Aryan Race, has received and acknowledged your most recent message and is most offended and outraged at the treacherous arrogance and warmongering actions undertaken by the Sovereign Empire against the Greater Aryan Race.

The Reich Chancellor and Führer, and the Reich Government as a whole, categorically rejects any such ultimatum demanding the surrender and decommissioning of forces of the Wehrmacht, as a most insulting and degrading affront towards the national sovereignty and dignity of the German State and the German People. Never will the Greater Aryan Race accept any such humiliating diktat, which betrays the narrow-mindedness and sheer moronic tendency of those imperialistic and neo-colonialist powers such as yourselves.

For too long has the Greater Aryan Race accommodated the outlandish antics of Gristol-Serkonos, in our now-misguided desire to promote peaceful cooperation and development between our two nations. Desiring nothing more than a just and honourable peace and mutually desirous relations founded on mutual respect, the Reich Chancellor and Führer, in his great leniency, agreed to the withdrawal of German military forces from Marquesan, despite it being clear that the presence of our forces was necessary to address the mounting instability in Marquesan proper. Yet Gristol-Serkonos, backed by her masters in the Pendragon cabal, deliberately broke the German-Serkonosian Armistice Agreement and unlawfully attacked German naval forces in Marquesan waters, together with Marquesan naval assets as well. Despite repeated offers for a negotiated settlement, it is clear that your masters in Rien-Stadt had no intention of ever entreating peacefully with the Reich, instead deceptively and traitorously flouting all conventions of diplomatic protocol and international law to stab the German nation in the back, coupled with threats of launching an EMP weapon against German civilians. The moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy of Gristol-Serkonos is apparent for all in Sondria to bear witness to.

As such, it is my duty, on behalf of the Reich Chancellor and Führer and the Reich Government, to present the following counter-demands to the Sovereign Empire for your consideration:

All Gristol-Serkonosian naval assets operating in Southern Utara shall withdraw immediately from their positions and return to Gristol-Serkonos.
Gristol-Serkonos shall agree to monetarily compensate the Greater Aryan Race for war crimes committed against German military forces in Marquesan and elsewhere in Sondria.
Any Gristol-Serkonosian ship or plane that so much as crosses the Economic Exclusion Zone of the Reich shall be deemed to have deliberately violated the maritime boundary of the Greater Aryan Race and will be immediately targeted for destruction.
Should the Greater Aryan Race detect any launch of any form of missile or projectile against German population centres, the Greater Aryan Race shall immediately retaliate with nuclear missile strikes against Gristol-Serkonosian naval forces in Southern Utara. In addition, the Greater Aryan Race shall launch three nuclear missiles against three major Gristol-Serkonosian cities should any German city or population centre be targeted.

This is our counter-offer to your Government for their consideration. If the Sovereign Empire somehow believes it has a fighting chance against German military forces in southern Utara, then Your Excellency is sorely mistaken. The Greater Aryan Race currently has five active fleets comprising over a hundred ships pitted against IGSN naval forces in Southern Utara, backed up by several other battle fleets ready to back them up, several hundred fully-equipped fighters and bombers capable of raining death and destruction on your naval fleets, as well as numerous coastal defences capable of putting paid to your fantasies of controlling the German maritime commerce. If Your Excellency has any sense, you would do well to heed our demands and withdraw your forces from Utara.

We await your reply.

With regards,
Rudolf Dommeratzky
State Secretary
Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Field Marshal Aldrik Bergmann
Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht
Supreme Armed Forces High Command

The Gristol-Serkonosians had grossly miscalculated. Determined to punish the Germans by enacting some sort of economic blockade while demanding the decommissioning of the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine, they had foolishly failed to take into account the defences of the Reich and the fact that their own naval contingent would be hopelessly outnumbered by the array of German ships and warplanes deployed against them. Even if the Gristol-Serkonosians had somehow managed to overcome the naval fleets of the Kriegsmarine, they still had to contend with the naval batteries and land-based bombers stationed in the Reich. Outnumbered to a fault, they would be blown out of the water should they ever be so foolish as to cross the EEZ.

Even an economic blockade was pointless, for as long as the northern, western and eastern segments of Utara and the great ports of Hamburg and Kiel remained in German control, ships and aircraft could still travel to the Greater Aryan Race from the north. The Reich Economic Ministry simply had to instruct all incoming and outgoing German naval and air traffic to avoid using the southern sea lanes and air corridors and take the slightly longer northern and westerly routes instead. The economic disruption, if any, would scarcely have any impact on the German economy.

More worrying was the Gristol-Serkonosian threat to deploy an electromagnetic weapon against a German city. The Reich Government had already responded with it's own threat of employing nuclear weapons against the Gristol-Serkonosians should they ever be so stupid as to commit suicide by launching such a EMP projectile. Furthermore, German defence scientists had advised the Reich Government that any EMP projectile would only have a debilitating effect on communications, utilities and other electronic systems for as little as thirty minutes or so. Nonetheless, for precaution's sake, the Reich Government authorised the immediate evacuation of all major German cities in southern and central Utara. Regional and municipal authorities were ordered to stock up on emergency supplies and to prepare contingency plans for any major electromagnetic attack. Power stations and suppliers were ordered to prepare contingency electricity grid networks that could be used to bypass any EMP strike. For good measure, the Führer, through the OKW, released top-secret directives authorising the arming and fuelling of nuclear missile silos and mobile launchers across the country. Teleprinters and radio receivers soon began spurting to life as Emergency Action Messages from the OKW came through and submarine and silo commanders read with grim realisation at what their orders signified. Gristol-Serkonos would be made to pay dearly for her war crimes.

by **The Nuclear Fist** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 7:48 pm

Shambhala International Airport,
Shambhala, Ruian Socialist Republic
Union of Rustonian Socialist Republics

It was nearly nightfall as the German plane touched down at Shambhala International, the snow falling heavy as the city braced itself for another night's storm. Under normal circumstances, the storm would have postponed any planes touching down, but given the gravity of what was at hand in the region, and the secrecy in which things needed to happen, an exception was made. The Germans themselves undoubtedly knew the dire state of affairs, with the Crontorians having annexed the Midlands and now preparing to fight the rump Triad, and the Fuhrer's own misadventures in the Marquesan civil war. Which, if Kolkovili recalled, had now resulted in Gristol-Serkanos having parked a fleet on the Fuhrer's own doorstep. Yes, it was clear to everyone that these were dire times indeed.

So it had been no surprise when the Germans had communicated to the Foreign Ministry via telegram an urgent request for a meeting. The Nazis had realized by now that they'd bitten off far more than they could chew, and were looking for help to keep them from choking. And with the Socialist Republics being the only state close enough and powerful enough to ward off the Gristol-Serkanosians, it made sense to ask a favor of the only man in Sondria in a position to help. In a dark way, Kolkovili supposed it was funny. He'd seen some of the propaganda the Germans had published about his own nation and people, it was hardly flattering. So to see them ready to bargain, hat in hand, gave the more sadistic parts of him a reason to smile. Still, he carried the message to the Red Fort, and with Kvaratskhelia's blessing the Politburo signed off on a meeting. And so here they all were.

As the plane rested, already sheets of snow began to form on its wings, already the howling winds the Rustonian steppe was so well known for began to gently rock its wings. Foreign Affairs Minister Nergal Kolkovili shivered against the winds as he exited the relative warmth and safety of his car, a state issued, black armored limousine, sporting twin gold and scarlet banners of Rustonia in all their glory. Alongside him was his translator. Normally, the visiting nation's ambassador would accompany Kolkovili on this trip, but Rustonia and Germania did not maintain official relations, and thus they did not have an embassy. Exiting similar vehicles were Kolkovili's personally guard, Section Seven agents of the State Security Directorate, each in grey suits with kevlar underneath, and wielding submachine guns. They were as much an implicit threat as they were a measure of protection for the visiting Nazis.

As the German delegation exited their plane and approached, Nergal couldn't help but look upon their dress. Each wore suits, deceptively simple but clearly expensive, each tailored and cut. This was compared to Nergal and his translator, who wore traditional garb and leather boots, their bodies wrapped in heavy fur coats and scarves, their heads protected similarly by thick fur hats. As his counterpart, the German Foreign Minister, finally made his way, Kolkovili removed a gloved hand from his pocket and shook the other's hand.

"Good evening, Mr. Balck." He said, his translator getting right to work making sure his counterpart could understand him.

"Sorry for the storm, but eh, we figured you lot wouldn't mind a little wind too much." He joked, ushering the delegation into his limousine. In a few moments they were off, the party collectively relaxing as the cabin's heat warmed them.

"I thought I'd take the time to give you the itinerary." Nergal explained. "You'll be dining with the Supreme Chairman and select members of the Secretariat and Communist Party Politburo. A great honor, I'm sure you'll recognize. You'll discuss the matter of your meeting there. May I offer you a drink?" He concluded, pouring himself a small glass of wine and offering Balck and his compatriot each one of their own.

The rest of the ride through Shambhala was uneventful, the party staring through tinted windows out at a city that seemed to exist in spite of harsh nature. Everywhere one looked buildings stabbed high into the sky, statues and monuments to past glories seemingly on every street corner, signs advertising seemingly every product and service under the sun. It was a city bathed in neon glow and packed to the brim with people, who moved through it resembling more a sea of flesh than a crowd of individuals. Finally they made their approach upon the Red Fort, her ancient walls and gates, topped with wrought iron spikes and leering grotesques well within view. After a few stops at armed checkpoints they made it into the complex itself, crawling past massive, unmarked buildings, that themselves seemed to extend into the sky beyond reason. At the center, however, wide and low to the ground, was the Red Fort itself. Its walls and pillars formed of scarlet stone and topped with golden domes, it seemed more fit for a dozen emperors than the Communist Party. Still, it served its duty well.

A valet took the car as they exited, and quickly the formed a line and entered the Fort. Kolkovili found himself smiling as he saw the place once more, all shining marble and silk carpets, every inch a carved decoration trimmed with silver and gold, encrusted with precious stones. The Foreign Affairs Minister held no royalist sympathies, but at that moment he admired the khagans of old for their splendor. Kolkovili led the small group, making sure to take his time and show the Germans the full sights, before finally taking them through a winding series of corridors deep into the fort. They soon found themselves in the banquet hall, a dozen ornately carved purpleheart tables arranged to form a horseshoe around a massive central hearth, from which a crackling fire burned. On a slightly raised platform was a similar purpleheart table, where the Supreme Chairman sat in a heavy stuffed leather chair.

Though a military man at heart, Supreme Chairman Saladin Kvaratskhelia had forsaken his uniform for the native garb of his people, wearing in its stead a wool and sheepskin deel and trousers with hand stitched leather boots, a pointed, fox furred hat slouched on his head. When the man who was called Boss spotted them, he rubbed his beard as if deep in thought, and motioned for them to come over and take a seat. Dutifully, Kolkovili led the delegation, and placed them at the table.

"Your food'll be here shortly," he grunted, finishing off the last of a plate of sausage and dumplings. "This is the first time any of you lot have decided to pay me or mine a visit. Guess it must be important. What do you want?" He asked, raising his head and fixing Balck with the piercing stare he was known for. The translator quickly repeated his words in German.

by **The Greater Aryan Race** » Wed Feb 10, 2016 9:06 pm

Shambhala
Union of Rustonian Socialist Republics

Reich Foreign Minister Balck took his seat at the prompting of his Rustonian counterpart, one Herr Kolkovili of the All-Union Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he eased himself into the leather chair with all the carefully controlled poise and grace of some twenty years as a diplomat, while Lieutenant-General von Demming and his counterpart, Colonel-General Wolfgang Kienast, took their seats to the left and right of Balck. The journey from Shambhala International Airport to the Red Fort had been uneventful, though Kolkovili's well-heated limousine was a warm respite from the bitter cold that had made it's appearance in Shambhala. The Rustonian Foreign Affairs Minister had briefed the German delegation as to the contents of their itinerary, a dinner with the leading personalities of the Rustonian Government and Communist Party, before offering them a perfunctory glass of wine each. It was good wine, and Reich Minister Balck made a mental note to have his private wine cellar stocked with the aforementioned brand once he returned from Rustonia.

Passing through the streets of Shambhala, the motorcade had pulled up at the Red Fort. Once the residence of the old Khagan monarchs of this veritable steppeland, the Red Fort had been converted into a government office and residence for the Supreme Chairman and his subordinates in the Communist Party nomenklatura. The physical beauty of the complex was not lost on the German delegation, with Reich Minister Balck subconsciously comparing the Red Fort's condition and appearance with that of the more spartan yet no less imposing Reich Chancellery in Germania. Colonel-General Kienast, a native of the administrative Länder of Saxony, gave a barely-audible snort of contempt as he purveyed the ornate jewellery and paintings that adorned the walls of the Red Fort. Who knew Rustonians could've grasped the finer aspects of high culture?

And now, the three representatives of the Reich Government now found themselves face to face with the man that German propaganda had once derided as the embodiment of decadent Marxism and Bolshevist terror, Supreme Chairman Kvaratskhelia, in the large and opulent banquet hall of the Red Fort. He had apparently discarded his military uniform for more native trappings, perhaps to reinforce the oft-repeated maxim of the Rustonian Government that their Supreme Chairman was a man of the people, Reich Minister Balck observed laconically. His wool and sheepskin feel and that pointed fox-furred hat appeared mismatched against the more extravagant and lavish backdrop of the banquet hall, which made for a rather bizarre setting. The three German delegates promptly removed their own hats and outer coats before taking their seats, Reich Minister Balck in his usual carefully-cultivated civility, Lieutenant-General von Demming following suit, and Colonel-General Kienast gruffly sitting himself into the leather chair, ever the archetypal German officer. Once seated, and hearing the translator attempt to translate Kvaratskhelia's words, Reich Minister Balck now began to speak.

"May I first speak on behalf of my colleagues and the Führer himself that it is a rare privilege and honour to have met the Supreme Chairman of the Union of Rustonian Socialist Republics. Now to business, you know why we have come, Excellency. The Greater Aryan Race has regrettably been on the receiving end of wanton, blatant aggression from the Pendragon cabal. We are for the most part, isolated and friendless, our former diplomatic partners in the shape of Marquesan and Gristol-Serkonos now having declared themselves hostile against the Reich Government for no rhyme or reason. Our military assets in Marquesan and elsewhere have been deceitfully attacked and pushed back to Utara."

"The Führer has vowed to break this collection of treacherous, decadent, pseudo-democratic states through force if necessary, but the Greater Aryan Race cannot do it alone. To that end, he has recognised the necessity of forging a coalition of willing states to eliminate the Pendragon Pact and if necessary, redraw the boundaries of Sondria to guarantee a lasting peace between the Sondrian states. And he believes that Rustonia is one such state that possesses the military and financial might to contest the Pendragon Pact. To that end," Reich Minister Balck continued slowly, to ensure that nothing that he said would be lost in translation by the translator seated next to Kvaratskhelia, "we are prepared to forgo our past mutual hostilities and ideological differences between Rustonia and the Greater Aryan Race and, the Reich Government thus proposes to Rustonia that a military alliance be established against the Pendragon cabal."

by **Crontor** » Fri Feb 26, 2016 5:43 pm

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Columbia Province;
Vienna:

For the fascist leaning Germans, arriving at Vienna International Airport must have felt oddly familiar. A declared democracy, it was well known both within the Imperial Federation and abroad that the nation certainly had authoritarian leanings. The tarmac was incredibly orderly with each and every vehicle confined to clearly drawn lanes, each emblazoned with the seal of the Imperial Federation. From the terminal towers and buildings, Crontorian flags and banners waved lazily in the breeze as members of the Central Directorate of State Security (CDSS) took up positions surrounding the German delegation.

These personnel were police responsible for the everyday security of the Imperial Federation, although they more closely resembled soldiers. Helmeted soldiers in black body armor, they sported matching black Echeron A5 Battle Rifles as they milled around their escort vehicles, ten black M-ATV Standards with mounted M2 Browning Machine Guns. In a nation with next to no civilian gun ownership and having long lacked in any domestic terrorist incidents, the police forces seemed a bit heavy handed. But for the security crazed Crontorians, the militarization of the police forces contained within the Ministry of State Security (MOSS) was an absolute necessity to promote domestic stability and tranquility.

Exiting the airport past checkpoints manned by the Public Security Bureau (PSB), another arm of the bureaucratic monster that was the MOSS, the Germans were led out into the streets of Vienna. While the PSB protected critical infrastructure, the convoy was now in CDSS territory and took the lead towards the Federal Plaza. The route chosen by the Crontorians was purposeful, meant to showcase to the Germans the beauty of Vienna and the power of the nation that constructed it. Along wide boulevards filled with sleek modern cars of Crontorian design, the Germans observed the manicured trees and gardens along the medians and side of the road, the elevated ultra-modern rail system, and once again the constant presence of Crontorian flag or its trademark emblem, hanging from streetlights or gracing billboards. Imposing skyscrapers rose above both sides of the boulevards, all with sleek edges and covered in reflective glass. The Crontorians themselves, not exactly a welcoming people, largely ignored the convoy passing by, perhaps casting a curious glance but proceeding with their own affairs. Heavily armed convoys were nearly an hourly occurrence in Vienna with constant police patrols by vehicle and foot.

At the center of Vienna was the Federal Plaza, a 900 acre rectangular park surrounded by the headquarters of the federal ministries and agencies that comprised the Crontorian Federal Government (CFG). At the southern end of the Federal Plaza was the Crontorian Military Pyramid (CMP), the black glass and steel pyramid that served as the central nexus of the Crontorian Armed Forces (CAF) around Sondria. Facing it was the Crontorian Federal Building, containing both the Executive Office of the President of the Imperial Federation, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Imperial Congress. Lining either side of the Federal Plaza were the headquarters of federal ministries such as the Ministry of State, Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Critical Infrastructure. All were contained in their own skyscrapers from which they directed offices spread across Sondria or the Imperial Federation.

Security in and around the Federal Plaza was handled by the Crontorian Federal Military Police (CFMP), a branch of the CAF. All civilian vehicle traffic had been banned in the blocks surrounding the Federal Plaza for decades meaning that it was entirely a pedestrian zone. The different amenities within the plaza, including parks, ponds, a zoo, museums, and plenty of statues, monuments, and memorials, made the Federal Plaza a popular destination for Crontorians of every age.

As the German convoy arrived before the Federal Building, a delegation of Crontorian officials was waiting to meet them including Minister of Defense Donald Ardal, Prime Minister Brennan Clancy, and Minister of State Security Murtagh Comgall. As the Germans exited their vehicles, the Crontorians approached them with Minister of Defense Donald Ardal extending his arm to shake their hands, “Welcome to the Imperial Federation, I am Minister of Defense Ardal, right this way please.”

Ardal led the combined delegations up the steps of the Federal Building and after all had passed through security, through the wide marble halls of the Federal Building. As always, the building was a hive of activity. The Imperial Congress was in session and hundreds of Senators and staffers milled around the hallways hotly debating legislation. For the moment, the majority centered on the defensive preparations and the rumors about the potential declaration of a National Defense Emergency which would elevate the Imperial Federation to a total war footing.

Passing through the crowds of politicians the entourage reached a conference room where Supreme Commander Crogden was waiting for them. Seated at the head of the conference tabled, which had been arranged with placards denoting the name of each delegate, Crogden rose and saluted to the Germans before motioning for them to take a seat.

“We would like to extend our warmest welcome to you on behalf of the Imperial Federation,” began Crogden, “now we should launch right into business. There is a great deal to discuss. What is the current military situation of your nation?”

Sondria;
Hellas;
Imperial Federation of Crontor;
Columbia Province;
Vienna:

Minister of State Suderity listened intently as the Imperial Vicar explained the position of the Aquilinian Empire. After such a devastating terrorist attack, it was understandable that the nation was not eager to rush into what could surely amount to Sondria’s deadliest ever war. Unless of course the perpetrators were somehow sponsored by one of the belligerent powers. Based on the intelligence Suderity had seen, which was little, this was not the case. The attack had not affected the Imperial Federation which was better suited to spend its energy with more important matters.

A non-aggression treaty was key. It would allow the Imperial Federation to worry far less about its northern border and transfer badly needed soldiers out of the borderlands to positions in the south. A nation could never be too careful and therefore some forces would be left at the Aquilinian border for emergencies, but overall, the result of the talks was exactly how the Imperial Federation had wanted things to go.

“A treaty of non-aggression between the Imperial Federation and the Aquilinian would certainly be an agreement that we could support. We have no quarrel with your nation and just do not see it in our best interests or yours to start a war, especially considering the unstable situation the region is now in. The instability in the Marquesas and the general warmongering of the Pendragon Pact is not exactly a good omen. Things were simpler with the Triad, but alas, we can prepare the details of the agreement. It was a pleasure doing business with you Vicar.”

WIP

by **Marquesan** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:31 pm

Les Citadelle Des Etoiles,
Nuku Hiva Capital District,
The Marquesan Union.
Local Time: 1145 Hours.

A gloomy drizzle hung over the misty Marquesan capital. Beside the dull weather and the fog, the capital was a clamor. The Marquesan delegation's announcement at The Suiochan in the far-away Elder Republic had been broadcast live to the Diet Chamber to a mixture of shouting, confusion, applause and cheers. While the conference in the Elder Republic had gotten underway, preparations had begun taking place at the capital and first among these had been to re-open lines of communication to all corners of the Marquesan sphere of influence. With communications lines re-opened to embassies and continuity of government re-established over the nation's military, a panic had set in as now, for the first time, members of both provisional governments began receiving updates on military actions around Sondria.

Marquesan fleets and forces were issued abort codes and ambassadors boarded express flights to the capital cities of Sondrian countries. At Triao, reports of Crontorian troop movements in The Midlands were ferried on emergency channels back to Nuku Hiva, where a courier was dispatched aboard a supersonic Morganroete transport to Vienna to lodge a formal protest in person with the Crontorian government. Over the course of the next week, delegates would be gathering in the Elder Republic of Erjunhuf for what was being called the Bay of Tears Convention, to be hosted by the Republic's government as the country's constitution would be written and the new government established based on the historic compromise outlined by Delphine and Atiamuri.

Marquesan units at and near the country's northern border began digging in along main thoroughfares and in rural places of terrain or other strategic advantage. Castras began going up in a loose defensive perimeter along the Pleiku River between the city bearing the river's name and Muang in the east, stretching along the southern bank of Lake Triao. On the hills between towns, Minerva-class SPAAG's and Boreas-class Missile Carriers could be seen on nearly every geographic prominence. A line of Warden-class airships began taking up a line that stretched nearly the entire northern border of the country and its protected waters from Muang, Amirantes to Noida, Orai. In the woods and along nearly every major highway, the air was filled with the sound of military turbodiesel engines, as newly-forming units created from the bones of the old order began organizing and deploying to take positions around the country.

Any violence between warring factions in Marquesan cities was quickly put down; the military at times locking down all access, power or utility to large swaths of cities and evacuating the residents, so that rogue pockets of resistance could be mopped up with tracked armor and Hellcat air support. With provisional government authority beginning to come online and report in district after district across the country, the first council meetings were beginning to be convened in neighborhoods across the country. Al Hafa support networks, caches and positions were being aggressively pursued to restore order to the country, even as military assets were being repositioned to reinforce the northern border. While halt codes had been issued, delays in communication with forward-deployed transports carrying troops to The Midlands arrived slightly too late, with a full Vanguard making landfall near Lohorec, The Midlands.

200 Kilometers E of Lohorec, Midlands.

The midday quiet was disrupted by something the citizens of Lohorec had never imagined they would see. Just a day behind 550,000 Crontorians moving into the area, a force of 80,000 Marquesan crack Army soldiers, the feared Veteran 2-3-2 "Deathmask" Guard of IV Corps Armored Cavalry and 4-7-6 "Howling Banshees" Guard of II Corps Airmobile Cavalry made a daring mid-day beach assault on a populated civilian vacation beach. The first sign of their arrival had been low, armed overflight of the beach by a cadre of Marquesan "Headhunter" and "Blackheart" aircraft, banking just meters over the beach at full military power without afterburners, loosing their supersonic Tachi missiles on coastal radar installations while Spitfires and Revenants flying in from carriers marked what defensive installations could be identified from the air for destruction with their new class of high explosive rockets, knocking out barricades and military installations in the first few seconds. Within minutes, Reaper-class transports, backed by Hellcat and Whisper helicopters touched down just seconds before the first wave of Capricorn transports made landfall on the beach, touching down in the water just a few seconds before coming to rest with their armored noses on the beach in textbook fashion. Smokescreens were deployed by the incoming Hellcats as Orcus-class Infantry Tank Destroyers and Chimera MBT's made landfall on the soft beaches, escorting Kraken HIFV's and Minerva SPAAG's onto the beach with almost no disembarked infantry on the ground. Within only seconds, thousands of armored vehicles were on land and off the beach, their hatches shut, guns loaded as they stormed at full-throttle into the outlying coastal suburbs of Lohorec. Within only minutes, engineering vehicles were making it onto the beach, bringing forward assault breaching vehicles and tracked rocket artillery with an escort of Mithras Fast Attack Vehicles.

Minimal civilian casualties were sustained, with a few Midlandian radar operators losing their lives while civilians simply abandoned the beach as quickly as was humanly possible. The shockingly fast heavy armor and copious combined air support brought by the Marquesans would be a powerful lesson for any Crontorian forward scouts in the area as, when they'd landed, the abort mission codes had already been received, however the assault had been too far gone to abort and assets like the Capricorn-class ekranoplans would need refuel before they could be loaded, so emergency communications had been issued to the government of The Midlands explaining the situation and asking for time to determine what to do with them, as the waiting Naval Battle Group waiting offshore represented a massive movement that could not simply be stopped and pirouetted along its axis to return home.

On the ground, the low silhouettes of "Orcus" ITD's with their telltale turbo whine and the flat eight's rumble as they charged along the Marquesan defensive perimeter periodically in either direction, their stabilized gun turrets staying level and pointed outward as they moved would present a fearsome face to any nearby force, with the shadows of Chimera and Shiva tanks concealed from above with the branches of trees to break up their image from above lurked in a nearby treeline. The Marquesan force wasted no time digging in and reinforcing the beach for landings to come, even if their presence in The Midlands was bound to be a temporary one, the Army combined-arms Vanguard prepared for any eventuality, including a fight with a numerically far-superior Crontorian force which was now well within range of Rocket Artillery on the beach which had yet to fire a shot.

In The Marquesas, the world held its breath as Crontorian and Marquesan combat units stared each other down for the first time in decades, danger-close with battle smoke drifting between them. All Sondria took a sharp breath and held it, waiting to see what would happen next.

Titansfall. (IC. Closed! ATTN: Sondria.)

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